true as the sky is blue
by summerkid
Summary: If for the rest of her life she could end the day like this with Santana in her arms, then everything is the way it should be. It's something that is inevitable and something that is just supposed to be. -'when skies are grey' sequel
1. Chapter 1

**_Hello! :) So after a very, very, very long wait I have decided to post the sequel to my story 'when skies are grey' and here it is! Yay! I really didn't want to wait this long to post it, but other things happened, life, other stories and I felt like it would be silly to start it up when I had other projects going... however, obviously that plan went to, well, you know what. And here we are. Just quickly want to let you know before we get into this story that I am still working on 'random acts' as well as 'Hush'. I've kind of been in a writer's block situation with 'ra' ( i know where i'm going with it and i have so much else written for it but i'm just kind of stuck for some reason) and what helps that other than letting the creative juices to flow._**

**_This story will follow the girl's with their move to NYC for college, Quinn back home in Lima with Kurt. I don't think I can say much more for this chapter of their lives but that I planned it to be an interesting journey. So bear with the first few chapters that settle them in NYC and college life and the 'real' world before it truly gets into the meaty parts._**

**_(sorry for my long rant of an A/N)_**

**_read and review :):):)_**

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><p><em>Santana parked her truck at the top of the hill, the one that over looked the town, the one that she had driven to with Brittany so many times to enjoy the view. Well, they intended to go for the view, but they always wound up making out, among other things. Tonight was no different.<em>

_As usual, they sat there, Brittany with her arm around Santana's shoulder holding her close, while Santana rested her head on Brittany's shoulder. They stared out into the sparkling darkness of the night sky in Lima, Ohio wondering if the NYC night sky could ever compare. Well, that's what they both said they were going there for to try and remember the sky they grew up with and compare it to the sky they were going to go to college with._

_In all honesty, it was their last night in Lima and they had nowhere to be alone. Casa de Lopez was a mad house considering her mother was insistent in packing up Ziploc containers of all of Brittany's favorite road trip snacks and Santana's favorite sandwiches. Every two seconds when they were at Santana's her mother would come in without knocking and show off her nifty little meal she had set up for them for their trip. The Lopez house was just not going to work for their last night in Lima together._

_The Pierce residence was pretty similar, in the aspect of them not being able to get a second alone together or at least no privacy. But Mr. and Mrs. Pierce weren't hounding the girls about Ziploc's and snacks, oh no. Though Santana wishes they had the same inconvenient timing with sugary treats and 3 inch thick sandwiches as her mother had. No, they decided that their last night home, before they left for New York where they would be living together, in the same apartment, in the same room and bed, decided that it was time to talk about what that all means._

_Santana never knew embarrassment could reach certain levels, or at least she thought there was a particular level and then it fades away. But this just brought mortification to a new level. She desperately avoided eye contact with the Pierce's as they asked Brittany questions about whether or not she understands how serious living together is and that it's a lot harder than it may seem. To Santana's surprise she was thoroughly impressed with how Brittany handled the situation answering every question fully and insightfully._

_So it was clear that the two were going to have to find a different place to get their alone time on. Hanging out with Quinn and Rachel was a no-go, Santana's defense being, 'we are seriously stuck with Berry for the rest of our lives. I just want one night of no high pitched annoying 'I'm gonna miss you Quinnie' crap. We can hang out with them when we are old and bored'. Brittany just agreed because Santana did have a valid point, it didn't look like Rachel was going anywhere anytime soon with the Quinn thing and plus, they were going to be living with Rachel, alone, for a whole year. So she didn't feel all that guilty when she texted Rachel back that she and San were just having an alone night._

_The radio station changed the song and Brittany sighed out in content pulling her girl closer to her. Santana allowed herself to be cuddled with and even nuzzled her face into Brittany's neck letting her lips brush against the skin there. The blonde giggle's tilting her head down to press against Santana's as if in an unspoken way fighting the tickling feeling off. The smaller girl grins this time into her skin and presses her lips more firmly to Brittany's neck letting a small sigh come from her mouth._

_"This is probably the last time in the next like, four years we are going to be able to do it with no one around." Santana says softly into Brittany's ear as she sits up slightly moving her hand across the blonde to grab the other side of her neck, still letting her lips press light kisses. She hears Brittany let out a laughed giggle but she doesn't stop the Latina from her motions._

_"Who said we're doing that?" Brittany inquires playfully trailing her fingers from the hand Santana had on her neck all the way up her arm to the strap of her tank top. As she waited for a response she moved the strap to the side, off her shoulder, and turned her head leaning in to place small wet kisses on her shoulder._

_"You know that's why we came here." Santana tells her factually, moving her kisses from her neck to just below her earlobe making sure to hum because it sends shivers through out her blonde._

_"Mmm." Brittany sighs out pulling her head back bringing their lips together, while throwing her leg over Santana's thigh so she is straddling the Latina. They continue kissing, hands grabbing at waists, reaching for hair and shoulders and other body parts. Brittany pulls away once more, kissing her way from Santana's lips to her cheek until her lips are hovering beside her ear. "What do you want to do?" She whispers out while slowly moving her hips into Santana's and she can feel her girlfriend groan at her motions. Santana's quick to recover reaching up to pull Brittany's ear to her lips this time._

_"I want to fuck my super hot girlfriend and make her come." She breathes out, letting her tongue lick around the edge of the blonde's ear. She feels Brittany's body shudder under the feeling of her breath hitting her skin, her tongue and the words in her ear._

_"What do you want to do to me?" Brittany asks in a low, husky voice while tilting her head to the side as Santana licks down her neck with the tip of her tongue._

_"I just said I…"_

_"Tell me Santana, tell me what you want." Brittany begs, grinding her hips into Santana's once again reaching to pull Brittany's face to hers pressing their lips together. The blonde pulls away to look into Santana's eyes, smirking down at her for a moment and letting her hands come up to rest on the top of the bench seat of her girlfriend's truck right behind Santana's head._

_"I wanna fuck you." Santana pushes out, her voice scratchy and full of arousal and Brittany grins once more letting her hips roll into the girl beneath her. "Ugh." The Latina lets out in a high pitched tone, trying her best to hold it in but it pops out none the less and reaches up Brittany's back letting her hand rest just below her neck. She leans up from her sitting position to place her lips on to Brittany's and the blonde reciprocates. "How do you want me to fuck you B?" Santana whispers onto the blonde's lips, letting one of her hands travel to her thigh giving it a squeeze and moving her hips up into Brittany. Her girlfriend sucks on her lower lip, taking it into her own mouth running her tongue along it before letting their lips work together all the while Santana is moving her hand closer to her inner thigh sliding it up between her legs._

_"Hard." Brittany tells her trying to move her body so that Santana's hand will reach its destination and when it finally does the blonde whines in the anticipation of more to come._

_"Yeah?" Santana smirks, letting her fingers run over the fabric of Brittany's shorts between her legs. Her eyes widen, surprised when Brittany grabs her wrist to still her hand and moving herself onto Santana's fingers._

_"Harder." Brittany pleads leaning down pulling the Latina into a scorching kiss leaving them both burning in the same places and completely breathless. When she pulls away, Santana looks at her, awe struck and her mouth hanging slightly open and she nods in short bursts._

_"Yeah?" She says in a questioning tone, quickly swallowing the small lump forming in her throat. "Okay." She tells her right before bringing their lips together again._

_This time when Brittany pulls away from the kiss it's only to lift her tank top up and over her head letting it fall to the floor of the truck instantaneously reaching for the bottom of Santana's top. The Latina leans forward to help with the removal of her shirt raising her arms for Brittany to take it off and toss it by her own._

_Brittany fixes Santana's hair briefly before letting her lips attack her girlfriend's, moving her hands to her back to unclasp her bra. Santana's hands are quick to join hers and are swift in removing the blonde's bra pulling the straps down her arms carefully yet fast. Before the red laced bra is even out of her hands she moves forward to capture one of Brittany's nipples with her mouth. Flicking her tongue against it and letting her other hand pay attention to her other breast._

_The blonde gasped and moaned at the feel of her girlfriend's lips and tongue on and around her breasts, teasing her and only fueling her arousal and she couldn't help her hips from moving down and into Santana's._

_"Baby, take this off." Brittany breathes out letting her finger slip under Santana's bra strap, gliding it up and down to show what she meant. Santana nods, still teasing Brittany's peaks with her tongue and sits up moving her hands behind her back and with nimble fingers sheds herself of her bra within seconds. "Oh." Brittany squeaks, reaching her hands to the back of Santana's head pulling her closer to her chest, the sensations moving closer south than in the region that was being paid attention to._

_"Come here, come here." Santana pants motioning one of her hands for Brittany to lean down and press her lips to the girl she is straddling at the moment. She does as requested, having no problem greeting access to Santana when she slides her tongue across Brittany's lower lip._

_Without even needing to speak the words, Santana moves them together letting her back press against the passenger side door. She puts her hands on Brittany's hips, motioning for the blonde to turn around, the blonde quickly picks up on the suggestion and does as asked letting her back push into Santana's from._

_She turns her head just enough to meet Santana's lips, both of their hands move to the button of Brittany's shorts desperately moving their fingers to undo it as fast as possible. Once undone, they break apart so that Brittany can shimmy out of her shorts along with her panties eventually using her feet to push them against the driver's side door. As she leans back, with the intention of turning her head to capture Santana's mouth with her own she hisses jolting up right again._

_"What, what?" Santana hurriedly asks leaning forward as well, her hands reaching out to pull Brittany back to her._

_Brittany furrows her eyebrows and darts her eyes to the offending object that caused her to wince in pain. Santana follows her gaze and realizes that her belt buckle must have pinched or prodded her girlfriend's body, and not in a good Santana's fingers and tongue kind of way. She reaches her one hand behind her and yanks at the buckle giving Santana a clue as to what is supposed to happen next._

_"Off." Brittany almost demands, Santana's eyes widen in arousal and in less than a second her hands are grasping and tugging at her belt buckle and trying to discard all of the clothing that Brittany deemed unnecessary._

_After maneuvering her jean shorts off without moving Brittany out of her reach, she sat up pressing her chest to Brittany's back once again, the wincing was now from the feeling of skin on skin and the uncontrollable throbbing between their legs. Santana brushed Brittany's hair away from her neck, pushing it to the side and brought her lips carefully and gently to the blonde's neck, peppering light kisses up and down her neck to her shoulder. Her fingers traced up and down her arm, letting her fingers glide up Brittany's side excruciatingly slow sending shivers through Brittany's body._

_"God, I want you all the time." Santana speaks out onto her skin, her voice raspy and deep like it was a secret she had been keeping. Brittany reaches one of her hands back to grip the back of Santana's neck, turning her own head to catch Santana's lips, humming approval and agreement into her girlfriend's mouth._

_Keeping their lips together, Santana wraps her other arm around Brittany's middle pulling her along with her as she, just as before, leans her back against the passenger side door letting her girlfriend's back lean into her. Santana lets the hand that had been tickling up and down Brittany's arm and side to slide across her stomach and continue to move lower and lower._

_"I'm getting impatient." Brittany tells her, pulling away for a quick moment. Santana chuckles giving her blonde a quick peck before finally letting her fingers find their spot between Brittany's legs. "Ah." She gasps out, her shoulders rising and her hips bucking at the first contact. "Jesus." Brittany breathes out with a soft smile, her eyes half opened looking back at Santana._

_"Mmm, Britt you're so wet." Santana points out in disbelief closing her eyes and turning her face into Brittany's kissing her cheek. She pulls her two fingers out and slides them up and down the slick opening, relishing in the moisture on her fingers, letting some of Brittany's juices come in contact with her clit._

_"Mhmm." Brittany nods in agreement biting on her lower lip when she feels the outside air hitting the wetness of her sensitive spots. "You make me so hot and wet." The blonde whispers licking her girlfriend's lips trying to move her hips to get those fingers back inside of her._

_"Say it B." Santana urges with a smirk, nipping at Brittany's neck. The blonde blushes slightly nudging their heads together letting a small moan out as Santana slides her fingers so close to being inside of her, but not quite._

_"Stop messing around Santana." Brittany whines reaching up behind her and tugging on Santana's hair._

_"Come on just one more time, I just want to hear it." She all but begs bringing her mouth onto Brittany's ear, knowing the blonde can't resist it when she breathes in her ear. "Please." Brittany rolls her eyes knowing that Santana will just hound her and tease her until she gives in._

_"Fine." She huffs grabbing Santana's hand that is between her legs to still it and she turns to look at her and then tells her softly and with a semi annoyed smile. "We are still going to have mind blowing, crazy, earth shattering sex even if Rachel is home." She watches as Santana grins from ear to ear proudly. "Happy?"_

_"Very." Santana nods and it's her turn to gasp as Brittany takes her fingers and guides them into herself finally getting what she needs so bad, Santana inside of her._

* * *

><p>Quinn pulls up to Brittany's house with Rachel and Kurt as her passengers. Today is the big move to New York for Rachel, Brittany<em> and<em> Santana. The three wave to the couple who are tossing some things into the back of Santana's new pickup truck. Well, new is stretching it a bit. See, it's new to Santana but _totally_ not new to the world.

Although Santana's mother had been completely on her daughter's side when she had explained to them why she wasn't in California, her father wasn't that easy. He wasn't mad at her or disappointed really, he's just a dad and they always have to make things difficult, which is what Santana told Brittany. Her parents had reached an agreement that obviously they are going to financially help Santana with school however, Mr. Lopez felt that if she were going to be living in an apartment with her girlfriend she should pay for it. Hence the new, old truck.

Since her father had bought her an actual 'new' car for her birthday when she had gotten her license, she figured she could get good money for it. And she did. But she still needed a way of transportation from New York to Lima and vice versa. Brittany had helped her pick it out both falling in love with the fact that they could lie in the back and look at the stars, and other stuff. 'This is a much roomier backseat' Brittany had whispered the night they had christened the car.

"I still can't believe Santana Lopez is driving a pickup truck. It's so…" Kurt pauses to find the best words.

"Hillbilly?" Rachel interjects and he turns to her but shakes his head, not quite right.

"It will come to me." He sighs trying hard to think of something witty. Quinn sits in the driver's seat rolling her eyes at the boy in the back seat.

"Now don't forget to call us when you get out of Ohio." Brittany's mother says to Santana pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head.

"And if you stop anywhere call us." Mrs. Lopez chimes in grabbing Brittany's face kissing her cheek before wrapping her arms around the blonde.

"I checked the oil so you will be fine, just get it checked when you get there." Mr. Lopez tells his daughter shutting the hood of the truck walking over to the girl's. Santana smiles at her father nodding at his suggestion. "Come here." He says putting his arms out for his baby girl to hug him, she complies practically running into his body and snuggling up against his chest as he holds her tight.

"Here," Mr. Pierce comes out of nowhere handing his daughter something in a package. "This is for the tolls."

"Thanks dad." Brittany replies analyzing the object in her hand before walking it over to the truck a few feet behind her. She goes back to her parents and hugs them both tightly telling them she loves them.

"Okay, we've got to go B." Santana pulls away from her father moving to her mother for one last hug. Brittany nods to Santana who moves quickly to the driver's side and hops in. Before Brittany can even make it to the passenger door she feels someone's hand on her elbow softly tugging on her. She turns to meet Mr. Lopez standing close to her.

"Here." He says to her grabbing her hand and placing an envelope in her hand trying to hide it from Santana. Brittany eyes up the white paper and takes a peek, finding that there is a bunch of money inside. She shakes her head and tries to give it back to the man but he holds his hands up shaking his head. "No, please take it. I know Santana would give me a hard time if I tried giving it to her." He explains why he is handing it to Brittany. She bites her lower lip and nods slowly knowing how proud her girlfriend is and she shoves it into her front pocket. "It's for the both of you. You are my girls." He smiles brightly at the blonde who returns the gesture and he grabs her for a hug quickly before stepping back to join the other parents.

"Thank you." She says quietly and he grins.

Finally in the truck Quinn starts to pull away with Santana right behind her. They barely make it a few feet away from the house when Quinn stops short causing Santana to stop short throwing her arm across Brittany's chest to hold her back.

"What the fu…" Santana hisses scowling at the back of the blonde's head but before she can finish the back door to Quinn's car flies open and Kurt all but jumps out. He reaches in the backseat grabs his bag and shuts the door walking to the truck.

"I am not driving 5 hours listening to Rachel." He explains making Brittany and Santana laugh. Luckily the truck had a bench as the front seat so three across fit rather comfortably. So Brittany moved to the middle letting Kurt join them.

"Try knowing you're going to be living with her for a whole year." Santana sighs with disgust and Brittany elbows her.

"It's four Santana. Four years, four very long years of musicals playing throughout the apartment, probably themed months of her favorite musicals and lots and lots of singing in the shower." Kurt reminds her and he's the one that gets the blonde's elbow this time.

"It's not going to be that bad guys." Brittany tilts her head as she speaks and stares ahead of her as they start to follow Quinn's car. This garners to very disturbed stares from both sides of her and then two very confused shaking of heads.

* * *

><p>"Four years Quinn. Four very long years of scowling, glaring, eye rolls and sarcasm." Rachel explains as Quinn traces shapes on the back of her hand with her fingers.<p>

"It's not going to be that bad Rach." Quinn tries to say with a straight face, but her plan is botched as soon as she finishes the sentence and receives a horrified look from her girlfriend.

"This is no laughing matter." Rachel points out raising her other arm for emphasis. "I don't think I truly thought this whole situation out properly. I mean living with Brittany is one thing. The only thing I'd really have to be afraid of is her accidentally setting the place on fire or… I don't know, getting arrested for hi-jacking a car." Quinn chuckles deeply at the last statement but Rachel is still not amused, which only makes the blonde laugh harder. "I'm sorry that I fail to see the humor in all of this unlike you." Rachel retracts her hand from Quinn's and crosses her arms over her chest. This softens Quinn's giggles and she places both hands correctly onto the steering wheel.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She shakes her head glancing quickly at the brunette. "But I mean, you're freaking out over nothing. Just think of it as like a really long stay at summer camp."

"I went to an 'I am me' camp for a week once." Rachel muses, turning to look out the window smiling at the fond memory. Quinn quirks an eyebrow.

"What's an 'I am me' camp?" She questions tentatively. Rachel whips her head around a bright smile on her face.

"Oh it's a camp my fathers' sent me to. It's for young talent." She explains, well, vaguely which only makes Quinn more interested.

"And what was this camp about?"

"Me of course." Rachel tells her as though it should be fairly obvious and Quinn rolls her eyes.

"There's a camp about Rachel Berry?" The blonde stifles a laugh and the brunette slaps her arm.

"Funny." Rachel rolls her eyes the best she can. "The camp is about finding yourself and being the star that you feel you are. So it's really a camp experience about yourself. It was fantastic." She smiles again, memories clearly running through her mind. "Why? What were the camps you went to about?"

"I went to cheerleading camp. So it was about cheerleading." Quinn deadpans turning her head to face Rachel momentarily. "We cheered."

"That sounds repetitive." Rachel thinks out loud with a sigh and reaches for Quinn's hand once again, bringing it to her lap.

* * *

><p>"So your furniture and stuff is already there?" Kurt asks turning his attention back to the girls to his left. Santana nods as she lazily plays with Brittany's hand in her own lap.<p>

"Yeah, my dad and the Berry's rented a U-Haul like, last week?" She turns to Brittany for confirmation and the blonde nods. "They brought our beds and dressers and shit." She explains to the boy.

"Well, they brought Santana's bed." Brittany says softly resting her head against the glass behind her. "It's so much more comfy than mine."

"Wait, they're cool with you two sharing a room?" Kurt questions them slightly surprised. Santana snorts and Brittany lets out a giggle along with her girlfriend.

"Of course they are Kurty." Brittany tells him playfully pushing his face in the other direction with her fingers. "It's not like we are a secret." She nuzzles into Santana's neck as she says this and places a kiss there.

"Seriously dude, did you really think we were going to like set up a fake room or something?" Santana quirks an eyebrow an amused smile still playing on her lips. "Because that would be exhausting and dumb." She points out with two very valid points and Kurt shrugs.

"No, I guess, I just didn't know that you're parents would be that open." He replies.

"It wouldn't matter if they were okay with it or not." Santana says, squeezing Brittany's hand lightly. "The whole point of me _not_ going to California is to be with Brittany. The whole point of us moving in together is to live together." She tries to explain.

"Yeah, we're not like, roommates really when you think about it." Brittany chimes in resting her head onto Santana's shoulder now. "We are a couple living in an apartment together." She smiles as she says this and it makes Santana smile as well.

"So then what, Rachel, is she like your child?" Kurt asks in that little obnoxious tone he pulls off so well and he is happy that Brittany is situated between him and Santana, otherwise he would definitely be getting a smack in the back of the head right now.

"Your words make me want to vomit." Santana says with disdain and gets another giggle from her blonde girlfriend and a poke in the side from her.

"Be nice Santana."

* * *

><p>"We haven't even gotten to do a test run of the apartment yet." Rachel breaks their comfortable silence. Quinn observes her girlfriend strangely before broaching the statement with her curiosity.<p>

"Come again?" The blonde's eyebrow lifts up.

"Well," Rachel begins glancing over to her left. "I mean, what if the walls are not thick enough because seriously, if the Lopez summer house has taught me anything it's to make sure I am more than a hundred yards away from a bedroom containing those two." She explains motioning with her thumb over her shoulder where Santana's truck was not too far behind. "Or if the locks work properly." She adds.

"Locks? How about you just not go in to their room and knock before you go into the bathroom." Quinn points out in an obvious sort of way.

"I meant for my room." Rachel corrects her. "My safety is essential Quinn. God only knows that one night Santana Lopez might snap and her first target would definitely be me simply due to the close proximity." She details out for her girlfriend whom she continues to get curious stares from. "I hope my windows don't have bars." She adds as an afterthought and to no one in particular.

* * *

><p>"I told you not to let her get that big gulp." Kurt huffs as he pulls down the visor to fix his hair in a mirror and sighs only more when he finds out there isn't one there. "What kind of vehicle is this?" He shouts in frustration.<p>

"Geez pretty boy calm down." Santana rolls her eyes lifting her hand to move the rear view mirror in Kurt's direction instantly gratifying him.

"Anyway, as I was saying, you know Britt-Britt has the smallest bladder ever. Yet every time we go on a road trip of sorts there you are buying her the biggest size cup available." He shakes his head at his own words, not looking over to Santana who is eyeing him in an annoyed fashion.

"It's a collector's edition." She explains lifting up the now very empty big gulp and she points to the picture of some character on it. Kurt moves his gaze to the cup and then to Santana with a dissatisfied smirk on.

"Do you even know who or what that creature is?" He asks nodding his head to the cup. Santana furrows her brow and turns the cup to get a good look at it.

"Whatever." She gives up immediately and tosses the cup at Kurt's feet. "It makes Brittany happy to get the cups she can keep."

"You are disgusting." The boy complains lifting his shoes from the spot the cup had landed. "Your truck is a mess. I am so happy I will not be boarding with you for four years it's probably going to look like this disaster area." He tells her as he leans down to pick the cup back up before anything left inside can seep out. Before he sits back up he moves down again slowly bringing his other hand back to his feet. "What the…" He pauses his words as he slowly lifts up his hand, his index finger the only thing extended and on the end of it a red bra. "Please tell me there is not matching panties under my seat." He swallows slowly and raises an eyebrow. Santana eyes the garment for a moment wondering why and how and when that had gotten there and if there were panties under his seat.

"Oh," She reaches out to grab it and then inspects it with a small smile on her face. "No, there are no panties under your seat." Santana tells him and just as Kurt is about to let out a sigh of relief she continues with a chuckle. "Brittany wasn't wearing any last night." She wriggles her eyebrows and smiles smugly causing Kurt to jump back against the passenger side down frantically reaching for the handle.

"Santana." He shouts as soon as he gets out into the parking lot of the rest stop. "You're gross." He wipes his hands on his pants and tries his best to straighten out his outfit.

"Are we really going to stop every twenty five minutes?" Quinn yells from her car. "I told you not to let her get the biggest size." She complains and Santana shrugs.

"Whatever, your midget has peed every time we've stopped too." She clarifies getting an eye roll from her blonde pal.

A few short seconds later Brittany and Rachel are back from the bathroom. Brittany slides in the truck beside Santana leaving enough room for Kurt, only he doesn't make a move to get in and instead stands there in thought.

"Are you getting in princess or do you want to stay in Pennsylvania?" Santana asks him loudly through the window causing Brittany to pull her head back.

"I'm gonna ride with Quinn and Rachel." He tells the girls reaching in to grab his bag and runs over to Quinn's sedan. Santana laughs as Brittany watches him curiously and pulls the door shut but moves right back to Santana's side.

"What's so funny?" The blonde asks as they start to pull out behind Quinn.

"He found your bra under his seat from last night." Santana explains with a smug grin and Brittany giggles, slightly blushing. "He kind of freaked out about sitting in here knowing what happened in it last night."

"It's not like it was the first time." Brittany grabs at Santana's hand pulling it to her lap and plays with her fingers. "And it's not like it will be the last." She adds sweetly brining the Latina's hand to her lips and kisses them softly.

"I guess we just won't tell him we did it in Q's backseat too or he will forever be damaged." Santana lets out with a long sigh and a nod from Brittany in agreement.

"And we will never speak of his backseat either right?" Brittany asks just wanting to clarify what they are not going to tell Kurt. Santana's eyebrows raise and she shakes her head quickly.

"Definitely not that no, definitely not that."

"Okay." The blonde says nodding once again. "I can't wait till we are home." Santana is about to correct her and say they just left their homes but she catches herself and turns quickly to Brittany who is staring at her with one of those sweet smiles. Santana smiles just the same and nods.

"Yeah babe, our home." She brings her arm up bringing it around Brittany's shoulder and pulls her close against her.


	2. Chapter 2

**_hey there friends. here's chapter 2:) _**

**_read and review:)_**

* * *

><p>"Babe, you want me to start unpacking your clothes?" Santana asks as she folds the last piece of her wardrobe and putting it into the bottom drawer.<p>

She looks over her shoulder to where Brittany is, standing in front of the vanity carefully placing a picture of them from the beginning of the summer down. The dark haired girl smiles standing up from her bent over position and moves behind the blonde checking out all of the pictures her girlfriend had laid out on display.

"It's okay I'll do it in a minute." Brittany answers after a few moments grinning to herself, admiring her decorating skills. "I love this picture." She says pointing to the picture, glancing over her shoulder at Santana who nods in agreement.

It was a picture they had taken right after graduation and they had a picnic at the park with a few of the kids from the Glee club. They were sitting on a blanket and Santana had her back against Brittany's front and the blonde had her arms around her girlfriend. Santana had this half smile half laughing face while Brittany's lips were pressed to her cheek but she was still smiling and her eyes were half open. They looked so carefree and happy and every time either girl looks at the picture now they can't help but smile because they can feel that through the picture.

It was one of those weird days that were so bright and sunny and warm and then the skies had opened up. Everyone ran to their cars deciding to move the outdoor picnic to an indoor one and they were to head to Rachel's. But Santana had subsequently locked her keys in the car and by the time they'd realized everyone had already left. After her temper tantrum and blaming Quinn and Rachel for rushing her she finally gave in and joined Brittany in the humor of how ridiculously predictable the situation was. Instead of going to Rachel's they walked back to Brittany's house, which is further than Santana's, and just enjoyed the rain with one another. It was a great day.

"I like pictures." Brittany muses, her finger coming up to the edge of one of the frames adjusting it ever so slightly. Santana steps to stand right behind her girlfriend wrapping her arms around her middle and pulls her closer. She moves to her tippy toes and rests her chin onto the blonde's shoulder.

"I like pictures of you." Santana whispers into her ear seductively. "Especially the one you texted me earlier." She looks to the mirror and winks at the reflection of Brittany who blushes and spins around in the Latina's arms.

"I thought you might like that one." She shrugs lifting her arms up placing them around Santana's neck, letting her hands play with her hair. Santana leans in with a smirk and presses her lips to Brittany's for a quick kiss while she lowers her hand and playfully slaps her ass.

"Come on Britt-Britt." The Latina says louder and stepping away but grabbing Brittany's hand leading her towards the bed. "Let's get you unpacked before Rumplestiltskin, Q and Kurt get back." The blonde giggles shaking her head but agrees nonetheless.

Brittany pulls one of her bags up on to the bed and Santana follows suit, unzipping the luggage and flipping the top over. She pauses when she hears another laugh come from the direction of the blonde. Santana looks up and sees a cute smile dancing on her girl's lips and she can't fight the smile that takes over her.

"What?" She asks curiously and it comes out as a sighing laugh. Brittany picks up a shirt, unfolds it and refolds it walking it over to the drawer Santana had already opened for her.

"Nothing, it's silly." Brittany says hoping Santana will let her slide, but even she knows better than that and she continues before Santana can even push it further. "It's just," She turns from the drawer letting her hands reach behind her and rest on the top of the dresser. "This is _our_ bedroom Santana." She explains motioning her head towards the four walls of their room. "_Ours_." Santana grins, nods and lets go of the pair of pants she had been in the middle of refolding and steps in front of Brittany letting her hands find the dancers hips.

"Ours." Santana repeats her, her voice airy. "I like the way that sounds." She tilts her head, her eyes meeting Brittany's briefly before glancing down to the lower lip being chewed on in such a cute way.

* * *

><p>"So I've been thinking." Rachel lets out after the long silence she and Quinn had been encased in since returning from grocery shopping with Kurt. Quinn looks over her shoulder curiously as she hangs a jacket in the closet for her girlfriend. "What if you do what Santana's doing?" Quinn jerks her head back and fully turns towards the diva who is sitting on her bed.<p>

"Umm, you want me to have sex with Brittany?" Quinn asks crossing her arms over her chest staring her girlfriend down with a playful gleam in her eyes. Rachel sighs and rolls her eyes.

"Yes Quinn that is exactly what I am referring to." She replies obnoxiously sarcastic and she raises her hands to hit the bed pushing herself up from it. "You know what I mean." Rachel says and Quinn lets her arms fall to her sides and she nods slowly.

"Rach, I can't." She tells the smaller girl moving towards her by the bed. "I'm already registered and set for classes. Besides, Kurt and I have picked classes to take together already." Quinn explains, bringing her hands up to rest on the diva's shoulders.

"It's not fair." Rachel stomps her foot once and pouts. She follows Quinn out of her room and into the kitchen where they had left grocery bags. "I am going to be stuck here with the 'Zack and Kelly' of McKinley making kissy faces at each other over ramen noodle for a whole year." She huffs as she tosses a plastic bag under the sink. "By myself." Her eyes downcast and Quinn giggles at her little act.

"I know, trust me I know. But you're not the only one who is waiting for a year." Quinn clarifies catching the other girl's attention while she slowly leans against the counter top.

"I understand you are in the same boat. The both of us are going to be extremely lonely for the school year." Rachel sighs. "I guess I had this glimmer of hope you'd pull a Santana circa two weeks ago and 'not get on the plane'." She uses finger quotes and shifts her weight to one side all the while rolling her eyes at herself. Quinn stifles a laugh pushing herself away from the counter and pulling up in front of her girlfriend.

"Rach you know this whole situation is completely different from theirs." Quinn tries to reason and even though it is true it still doesn't feel like a good enough excuse to go all Santana Lopez and change her whole plan around. "And don't for a second think that it's because my feelings for you, that we," She motions between the two of them to get her point across. "Are not as strong or not as in love because, that's just not it." She shakes her head bringing her hands to rub up and down the diva's arms. "We are going to be fine you just have to trust us to be."

Her head dips, chin resting to her chest, to get a better look at the girls eyes in front of her. Rachel juts her lower lip out for a few seconds before conceding and gives the blonde a nod. Quinn smiles triumphantly and places a soft kiss to Rachel's forehead, squeezing her shoulders and then moving on to the rest of the groceries.

"Fantastic." She says, her voice carrying out through the kitchen and probably the rest of the place. "Now, let's get this stuff put away." Quinn winks at Rachel who has finally moved herself and started to rummage through the plastic bags. After a few minutes of silent stocking of the refrigerator and cabinets Rachel turns to look at the blonde.

"So, any pointers in living with those two?" She asks pointing down the hallway towards the couple's bedroom. Quinn stops and glances at the direction her girlfriend is pointing to.

"What do you mean? You stayed with them at the summer house." Quinn shrugs her shoulder's and moves to put a few cans of soup in the cabinet to the left of the refrigerator.

"I would truly hope that you are being facetious Quinn. I do not expect my time living with Bonnie and Clyde in your absence to be anything like the debacle that was the summer of sweaty, sex and fighting." Rachel leans against the refrigerator to get Quinn's full attention and her seriousness causes the blonde to smirk and let out a tiny snort. "It's not funny." She crosses her arms to prove that this conversation should be taken in all the seriousness it is being approached. "I mean, sleeping habits, eating habits, cleaning habits…" Rachel is cut off with her list when Quinn lets out a hearty laugh throwing her head back for emphasis. "Why do you insist on laughing at everything I say today?"

"I'm sorry sweetie but, cleaning?" Quinn falls into a fit again, resting her hand onto the counter as if for some support. "I guess you've never been in Santana's bedroom." She quirks an eyebrow and studies the diva's face for a moment as her eyes wander like she is trying to recall a memory.

"Once, I think." She looks up to see Quinn trying her hardest to control her laughter.

"That girl is one messy little…" Her head is shaking, her hand pushing herself up from the counter and moving on to another plastic bag that was set on the table. "I swear if it weren't for Mrs. Lopez and Brittany, Santana would have been lost inside her bedroom a long time ago." She jokes while she carries over three boxes of cereal and places them on the top of the refrigerator. "God, I can only imagine what it will be like when her and B have kids. Poor Britt." Her head shakes at the thought and chuckles follow suit.

"How messy? Like dirty messy or like, 'I just have to put away my clothes' messy?" Rachel questions, her eyes following Quinn around the kitchen. "Because I don't think I can deal with dirty messy that's just… dirty." Her nose scrunches of the thought of crusty bowls in the sink left for weeks at a time and random food goods stashed under the couch.

"She's just messy, messy. So, I guess the second one. She doesn't keep like food or anything lying out." Quinn explains evenly bunching up a plastic bag in her hand and tossing it to Rachel who throws it under the sink. "That's one plus." She chimes in again after a few short seconds of quiet. "She doesn't like food in her room." She pauses in speech and in motion and rolls her eyes in front of Rachel. "Unless it's something she can eat or lick off of Brittany."

"Eww Quinn." Rachel scoffs slapping her girlfriend's arm and the blonde giggles shrugging her shoulders.

"Hey, her words not mine." She explains moving back to grab the last bag. "Are you gonna help me here?" Quinn points to the bag sending the diva a smirk.

"This place is… cute." Kurt settles on catching Rachel and Quinn's attention, his eyes looking around as he walks into the kitchen from the living room which wasn't even separated by a wall. He smirks at Brittany and Santana who are making their way down the hallway from their room at the end and into the living room practically throwing themselves onto the couch.

"I like it. I think it's cozy." Brittany announces moving her body closer into Santana's side.

"Of course it's cozy it has you." Santana says to her girlfriend, or so she thinks but in the background there's the slight sound of gagging from their friends.

"I'll have you know this is a typical starter apartment in New York City." Rachel's voice rings through the apartment from her spot at the far end of the kitchen. "Actually, this is one of the nicer ones. My dad's made sure of that." She says the last part to Quinn who is looking over her shoulder at the diva as she puts the last bit of groceries away. Giggles from Brittany on the couch as Santana makes faces go unnoticed and Rachel proceeds to rant. "It's perfectly located as well Britt, so close to our schools." She tells the group and the blonde on the couch while opening the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water. "And," She offers one to Quinn who shakes her head prompting Rachel to put it back. "My dad's said there are over a dozen restaurants between here and school." The diva explains, ruffling Kurt's hair making her way to the smaller couch beside the one Brittany and Santana are sitting on.

"You do know that you were just standing in was a kitchen, right?" Kurt points to the room that Rachel had just come from walking around the bigger couch to sit beside Brittany. "You know where you cook food and then eat it." Rachel lets out a fake laugh and turns her head to the boy.

"I know smarty pants." She looks over to Quinn who is walking over towards her. "I was referring to the waitressing job Santana is going to get." Both Quinn and Kurt's eyebrows shoot up and then their heads snap towards Santana.

"I'm sorry what?" Quinn speaks Kurt's thoughts.

"I'm sure you didn't expect her to sit around here all day long while Brittany and I are off at school. Not only would it be boring, I'm sure, but rather counterproductive." Rachel elaborates, shifting over a little for Quinn to take a seat beside her.

"I get that but, a waitress?" Quinn's eyebrows furrow looking from her girlfriend and to her friend several times.

"I think Santana will be a good waitress." Brittany finally adds with a soft voice. She doesn't see the more than curious eyes on her because she is too busy watching her fingers tickle up and down Santana's arm. "I mean, she likes food and she like, totally loves money." She shrugs making Santana smirk and shake her head while everyone rolls their eyes at the couple.

"You do understand she has to be nice." Quinn points out getting a tilted head and blank expression from the blonde and a scowl from the Latina.

"Yeah, nice." Kurt agrees in question. "To strangers who are hungry and rude." He finishes.

"Hey." Santana reaches over Brittany snapping her fingers in front of Kurt's face. "I'm sitting right here Porcelain." She sighs sitting back against the couch letting her hand fall onto Brittany's lap.

"Santana's nice." Brittany muses to herself playing with the charm bracelet on her girlfriend's wrist.

"Okay before any of you or myself even try to crush the fantasy world that Brittany clearly lives in, how's about we get this show on the road and you show this little lady the town." Kurt claps his hands and stands up.

* * *

><p>The streets of New York City are busy with its people quickly moving from place to place. Some in suits, some in other work clothes carrying briefcases, moms and dads pushing strollers and then there were the randoms carrying around umbrella's even though it was sunny and hot.<p>

Quinn and Rachel were walking arm in arm, the brunette pointing out various famous sights and to each one the blonde would whisper 'we have to go there'. Brittany keeps Santana's hand tightly in her own with Kurt on her other side. The two friends squeal and jump in excitement as they walk through the streets debating whether or not to go shopping or dance in the streets.

It turns out that their decision is made by itself due to the fact that Rachel needed to stop by her school to pick up a few things before the semester starts. With Rachel gone, the other four wander around the city for a little while taking everything in.

Quinn and Santana stood there watching Brittany dancing around Kurt, every so often pulling him to dance with her. The music provided by a few boys sitting along the street banging on plastic tubs and a guitar or two. The blonde and the dark haired girl giggle as people pass by to watch and smile at the two putting on a show.

"You're going to be so happy here." Quinn tells her friend, glancing at her for a moment. Santana nods, smiles and sighs in content. "Obviously because of Britt, but, you'll find something, you know." Santana turns to Quinn contemplating her friend's words.

"I'm not worried." Santana says optimistically. "I was never really worried about what I was gonna do in school." She shrugs turning her attention back to her girlfriend. Quinn nods in agreement, she also knew that was never really the case when it came to Santana and college, it really never had anything to do with what she was going to study but more so to do with getting out of Lima.

"Remember when you wanted to be an assassin?" Santana laughs at Quinn's flawless memory of their childhood dreams and aspirations.

"Remember when you wanted to be Oprah?" The Latina reminds her friend getting an outright laugh from the girl who embarrassingly wraps her arms around her own waist.

"Hey she's the greatest thing to ever happen to this nation." Quinn quirks an eyebrow to get her point across and Santana agrees with a stifled laugh and a quick nod. "Remember when Brittany wanted to be Barbie?" This prompts both girls to fall into hysterics, reaching out to grab one another to keep them standing upright.

"Hey," Santana forces out once she can control her laughter somewhat and places her hand on Quinn's shoulder. "Barbie is good at everything." She points to her friend. "She's a doctor, a teacher, a dancer, a mom, a lawyer." Santana rattles off the list of all the occupations their Barbie's had had over the span of their lifetime.

"Hmm." Quinn hums nodding her head some. "Seems our little Britt-Britt had some high aspirations." She notes making the smaller girl smile brightly and proudly, and then after a beat they begin to laugh uncontrollably again.

* * *

><p>"So what are we doing tonight?" Santana asks the group as they meander through the streets that haven't changed even with the sun dimming below the skyline. Brittany comes up from behind her, wrapping her arms around her waist making it a little difficult to walk. Santana grins letting a little giggle escape as she looks over her shoulder, lifts her arm placing it around Brittany's neck and pulling her to walk beside her instead.<p>

"Dinner?" Quinn suggests with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Well duh Sherlock, we obviously have to eat." Santana rolls her eyes getting a bump of Brittany's hip into her own.

"How about we go to dinner and then go to that wax museum." Brittany offers with child like excitement.

"Whatever we do can we do it soon." Kurt sighs with impatience.

After a few ideas of where to go for dinner the kids finally decide on a diner. Not the most posh place to eat when one is visiting New York City, but they all figured there will be ample time to go to more of the nicer places in the future. Plus, they weren't necessarily raking in the dough at the moment so a quick bite to eat at a hole in the wall diner suited them just fine.

Dinner went as expected. They reminisced over things of high school past, what they were not going to miss about Lima and then what Kurt and Quinn were going to miss being stuck in Lima. Kurt expressed his interest in possibly working in fashion which Rachel was more than delighted to hear seeing as she planned on branching out after her first few Broadway hits were being soaked up by the wonderful people of the world. She would need a stylist or perhaps be the name for a brand.

Santana continuously rolled her eyes with everything that came out of the little diva's mouth but was quick to sit up straight and slap a smile on her face at the simple request of her girlfriend. But even though there was a smile on her face her mind raced trying to calculate just how much time she would be spending with Rachel Berry without Quinn as a buffer. The end result she came up with was not pretty.

Brittany laughed along when jokes were made, enjoying the way the group dynamic was so fluid and easy. But she couldn't help that twinge of guilt she felt in the pit of her stomach at the fact that Quinn was leaving in the morning. She had Santana now for a whole year while Quinn and Rachel were the ones to be apart. She felt bad for the couple for the moments when the conversation would get quiet and slightly serious.

Quinn wondered to herself if she was going to be able to make things with Rachel work considering the distance. It wasn't something she thought she would have much difficulty with but then again, she has never been in a relationship such as the one she is in with Rachel. It was different, it felt good and so grown up. She caught herself grinning a few times daydreaming about life with Rachel after college.

Rachel was slightly scared inside and she wished that she could pull a 'Santana Lopez' and have the guts to beg and plead with Quinn to stay. But she knew that was not their story. They were going to have to work this one through in a Quinn and Rachel kind of way. They were different than the other couple, that was for sure, and they just didn't operate on the same 'need' and 'want' as the other two. Sometimes when she thought that way she felt guilty, like she was diluting their feelings for one another.

Kurt had a feeling that neither couples knew what they were getting into. With Brittany and Santana, well, they'd be fine living together but he is pretty positive that with the Rachel aspect would result in some… property damage. He found himself giggling to himself as he imagined an all out brawl, clearly Santana being the antagonist, and blood and gold stars splattered everywhere. It was a good thing that Brittany was going to be there to be the referee she's always been the best person to control Santana's temper. But with Quinn and Rachel he seriously was considering starting a pool to see how long it takes Quinn to pack everything up and shack up with her girlfriend, not being able to take the distance.

* * *

><p>Santana steps into their bedroom, glancing behind her for a moment before shutting the door. She looks up to see Brittany sitting up in bed looking through the pictures on Santana's camera. The Latina grins, moving slowly over to the bed and crawling her way next to the blonde.<p>

"Kurt just spent fifteen minutes complaining about the pull out." Santana grunts slipping under the blankets and resting her head on Brittany's shoulder giving her a better view of the pictures. "Well, more about the linens, then about the actually bed." Brittany's shoulder shakes as she giggles at this information and moves the camera more in front of Santana.

"You look like such a dork here." The blonde points out getting a playful bite on her bare shoulder. She sighs shutting the camera off and placing on the nightstand on her side. "I feel bad." She lets out shifting lower into the bed bringing her head to lie onto Santana's chest.

"Why babe?" Santana questions her girlfriend, smoothing out her hair and kissing the top of her head.

"Well, I mean, Quinn has to leave tomorrow and then Rachel is going to be sad and, that makes me sad." Her shoulders shrug and her hand reaches up to play with the dark hair splayed out on the shoulder in front of her.

"Yeah, but Q is gonna be here next year." Santana reminds her.

"I know." Brittany nods into her chest and takes a deep breath letting it slowly come out. "I guess I feel bad because I'm so happy that you're here." Santana furrows her eyebrows and continues to stroke her girlfriend's hair. "Is that selfish?"

"No Britt, not at all. It's not our fault that Quinn and Rachel are choosing to be separated and are going to be miserable in the process. But they know what they're doing." Santana tries to explain. "Besides sometimes you have to be selfish, it's not always a bad thing." She offers, her lips twisting wondering if she is supposed to say more. "And I say this is one of those times. I'm happy that I'm here with you and you're here with me." Her voice is soft and innocent as she elaborates for the blonde. "You can't let other people's stupidity and sadness get in the way of your happiness."

"I guess you're right." Brittany says after a few seconds of silence.

"Of course I'm right." Santana grins in accomplishment. "So," She draws out slowly. "What do you want to do on our first night in our bedroom?" She can feel Brittany smile into her body and watches as she lifts her head p carefully and looks into Santana's eyes.

"I am so tired Santana." Brittany tells her with a loud yawn to follow. The Latina takes a deep breath and closes her eyes.

"Oh thank god, I'm exhausted." She replies getting a small chuckle from the blonde.

That first night in their first apartment in their first bedroom to share the two girls fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

><p>Brittany was sitting at the kitchen table facing the living room. She had her chin in her hand, her elbow propped up on the table top. Santana came in with a few things to put on top of the refrigerator her mom had not so secretly packed. She looks down at the blonde as she passes her and furrows her brow.<p>

"What are you doing?" She asks moving to her tippy toes to reach the top of the refrigerator.

"Nothing." Brittany replies with a sigh. Santana shakes her head and when she falls back onto her heels she takes a look to where her girlfriend is staring. The Latina walks up behind the blonde, puts her hands on her shoulders and gives a slight squeeze as she bends down to rest her cheek to Brittany's. "Is she going to watch this all day?" She asks leaning into Santana.

"Probably." Santana sighs, rolling her eyes and turning her head to place a kiss to Brittany's temple.

"Is she going to sit there all day?" The blonde curiously asks, lifting her hand up to Santana's arm and tugging on it until her girlfriend moves to the side and she pulls her onto her lap.

"I hope not, I wants to get our movie time on." Santana shakes her head, snaking her arm around Brittany's neck.

The couple continues to watch Rachel sitting on the couch and staring at the television. Quinn had left earlier that morning and the diva had been sitting there since with 'Hello, Dolly' in the DVD player. Brittany knew it was going to be a long day and made Santana promise to at least give the other girl two days until going back to her innocent making fun. Santana hoped it only took two days but, she was hoping the girl would snap out of it within the next hour because watching Rachel Berry mope around was so not entertaining.

* * *

><p><em><strong>ok, so i know it's starting kind of slow, but i have to set it all up ya know. but i hope you stick with me and just enjoy:)<strong>_


	3. Chapter 3

_**hey peeps. here's chapter 3, i know it's on the short side but rest assure it will be getting meaty soon:)**_

_**thanks for all the feedback so far you guys are awesome.**_

* * *

><p>It had taken three weeks. Three weeks of pushing her petite little body through the masses of the hustle and bustle of the big city. Three weeks of 'we'll let you know', 'we'll call you', 'we'll keep you on file' and flat out rejections until finally Santana Lopez scored her first job, ever. She couldn't understand how some places refused to hire her because she didn't have experience, how was she supposed to get experience if no one would hire her? That concept was completely beyond her but the thought was moot at this point because she was hired, employed, making that money.<p>

It wasn't ideal, it wasn't as lucrative as she would have liked but it was money, money in her pocket and a pretty crappy paycheck every two weeks but it was hers. She got a serving job, just as Rachel had suggested, at a small yet upscale diner type restaurant and it seemed to be working out for her, so far.

Once school had started, almost a month ago, Rachel seemed to be adjusting well to life without the physical presence of a certain blonde. Santana and Brittany couldn't have been more thankful to the heavens above for this change of events. Before school had begun Rachel Berry seemed a lost cause, a shadow of her former self but with classes in full swing and her new city life building up each and every day it seemed that the old Berry was back. This both relieved and irked Santana but she was certain it was more of the former than the latter because a depressed Rachel Berry entails a lot of late nights listening to Berry's sad voice and Barbra Streisand soundtracks.

Brittany has taken the college experience as she would anything else, with ease. Santana still helps her with her notes at the end of the day, re-reading the syllabus and looking over the texts for her girlfriend to ensure that she keeps her scholarship.

"Did you finish the rest of that paper for English?" Santana looks up from a magazine she had spread out on the kitchen table when Brittany comes into the room.

"Uh, yeah I finished it last night when you fell asleep." The blonde tosses her book bag on the empty chair across from the Latina and walks over to press a quick kiss to her girlfriend's temple before moving to the fridge to grab the carton of orange juice. "I left the window thingy open on the computer so you can look it over." She adds after a long gulp of juice. Santana nods, turning the page to her magazine and taking a bite of toast.

"Baby you want some toast?" Santana asks her, lifting up some of her breakfast. "It's got grape jelly on it." She grins up at the blonde who was in thought, her eyes lighting up at the sound of jelly.

"Mmm." She hums out as she takes a bite from the toast still in Santana's hand. "You're the best sweetie."

"I have three classes in a row." The sound of Rachel's voice only gets louder once she emerges from the hallway and joins the couple in the kitchen. She glances at the two, Santana sitting with her hand in the air holding the food out to Brittany who is leaning down and greedily enjoying being fed by her girlfriend. Rachel sighs, rolls her eyes and turns to the refrigerator. "Of course I'll call you after class." She says kindly, completely erasing the hard look she threw Santana and Brittany's way only seconds ago.

"What time are you working till?" Brittany asks as she chews, Santana reaches up to wipe the corner of the blonde's mouth with her thumb.

"Ummm," She tilts her head and her eyebrows scrunch together. "4:30? I think." She replies with uncertainty.

"Santana, can you please text me this time." Brittany whines pushing herself away from the table to grab the paper towels by the sink. "Last time you told me 4:30 you wound up doing a double. I thought you got abducted by aliens." She explains with hands on hips. Rachel's eyes dart to Santana's, meeting one another's gaze for the briefest of confused moments.

"I'm pretty sure I am not working a double tonight." Santana answers quickly and Rachel goes on with her own conversation on the phone. The Latina pushes her chair back and reaches to pull Brittany on her lap. "And if I am," She pulls Brittany closer to her and nuzzles her nose into her neck. "I will text you and totally make up for it when I get home." The blonde giggles and presses her body further into her girlfriend.

"You're coming in two weeks though right?" Rachel's conversation breaks the couples blissful silence and brings them back to reality. Brittany kisses Santana on the lips quickly and moving from her lap only to receive a playful smack on her bottom.

"Have fun at school Britt." Santana tells her.

"Have fun at work." Brittany winks and then blows a kiss in her girls direction before disappearing from the apartment. Santana's eyes move to Rachel who is standing in front of the open refrigerator.

"Are you hot or something?" Santana asks annoyed and going back to her stone cold self, flipping through her copy of US Weekly like a speed reader. Rachel looks over her shoulder and huffs only to leave the room and not even play this early morning game with Santana.

"I'm sorry." Rachel coos into the phone, carefully shutting the door to her bedroom.

"It's okay." Quinn tells her.

"I feel like I'm in some twilight zone episode. Santana and Brittany are… they're like the perfect couple. It's gross." Quinn laughs hard into the phone, Rachel letting out a strangled chuckle not really finding the humor in her words but more in the fact that Quinn can.

"They're far from perfect hun. They just work and they're happy." Quinn reminds her. "We should be happy for them. Jealousy will get you nowhere."

"But I am jealous. They are all, 'I love you', 'I miss you'. How can you miss someone you live with? That's hardly plausible." Rachel argues more with herself than with her girlfriend.

"Awe, Rach, stop it." Quinn says softly and this at least gets Rachel's features to soften a bit and she leans against her door. "I am going to be visiting in two weeks and then we will so show them who the best couple is."

"I know." Her lips pout and she brings her hand up to the wall and picks at some paint chipping. "Ugh." She lets out when a big piece of dried paint peels off.

"What now?"

"Santana's father did a horrid job painting my room." She shakes her head while walking over to the waste basket in her room.

"How do you even know he was the one who painted your room?" Quinn asks her curiously.

"Because Quinn, I just peeled off a piece of paint the size of a small third world country. My dad's would never do such a poor job in something pertaining to home décor." She explains with ease when a sudden thought comes to her mind and her eyes squint. "She's testing me."

"Oh my god." Quinn practically yells over the phone. "I believe you have officially gone crazy. Do they not talk to you? Do you literally have no human contact?" Rachel moves from the waste basket to take a seat on her bed, her fingers playing with a random piece of string coming undone. "I mean seriously, I've never heard you like this before you're all… suspicious of crazy crap. Have you been watching NCIS again?" Rachel snorts and shakes her head, letting her body fall back and onto one of her pillows.

"Did you know that Brittany and Santana have a rather unhealthy obsession with reality television?" She asks the blonde in all seriousness but with a hint of humor and the laughter from the other end only proves her theory. "Every single night there's some 'show' they _need_ to watch and none of them make any sense. People eating bugs for money or some guy taking peoples cars or houses away on some game show or, I don't know the list truly goes on and on." She pauses at the memory of the other night when she apparently had the audacity to interrupt. "Oh, and when I try to ask questions they shush me. Like literally shush me, loudly and wave their hands in the air all crazy like." She adds, waving her own hand in the air for emphasis even though Quinn can't see her.

"Yeah, Santana gets like that during her 'stories'." Quinn giggles into the receiver. "And I think Britt just kind of adapted to that lifestyle."

"During a commercial break Brittany turned to me and told me that if I don't keep quiet she will 'sick Santana' on me." The diva recalls the exact words from one of the first nights they had sat around to watch television. "And the funny part is they talk randomly through it."

"That's because they are on the same wave length." Quinn reminds her in an honest tone.

"Obviously, but it only becomes more clear when you live with them." She sits up, smoothing the back of her hair with her hand and glancing at her bed side table at the clock.

"Oh god, yeah I can only imagine."

"Well, in a year you won't have to imagine." Rachel grins into the phone, the simple thought of her girlfriend's being with her in a year made her giddy.

"I wish it wasn't a year, it sounds so long." Quinn grunts and Rachel picks up on some movement on the other end.

"I know, believe me I know." Rachel nods to herself, getting up from her bed and walks to her desk setting her books up for her classes. "Waking up to Brittany and Santana having sex in the middle of the night only reminds me." Quinn laughs. "How's Kurt?"

"He's fabulous of course." The blonde gushes and Rachel can just imagine the face she made as she spoke of their friend.

"I'm guessing you two have been hanging out a lot huh?"

"Of course, we use each other as shields at school." Quinn explains making Rachel smirk. "He's a fantastic faux boyfriend. Actually our professor told us the other day we made a beautiful couple." She chuckles with obvious amusement.

"Maybe your professor thought Kurt was your girlfriend." The brunette joked getting the blonde to snort.

"You have been hanging around Santana too much. She's rubbing off on you."

"I do find myself scaring off fellow students more with just mere facial expressions." She comments sarcastically. A knock at her bedroom door catches her attention and her laughter subsides momentarily. "Come in."

"Hey." Santana's voice comes from the door that slowly opens revealing her figure. "I'm heading to work." Rachel nods at the information. "Chinese tonight or should I bring stuff home from work again?" The diva scrunches her nose and shakes her head.

"Chinese." Santana breathes out a laugh, shaking her head at Rachel's reaction.

"Okay, me and Britts will pick it up on the way home. I'm gonna swing by her last class to get her." She explains to her friend. "Hey Q." She shouts.

"Tell Santana I said hi back."

"Quinn says hi back."

"Okay, see you later." Santana nods, waves and closes the door behind her.

"See, she has gotten better." Quinn comments.

* * *

><p>"Hello, my name is Santana and I'll be taking care of you today." She cringes on the inside as this stupid script leaves her lips, but she holds herself together long enough to slap a smile on her face and get the words out.<p>

"Santana?" The young man eyes her up, her name leaving his lips in the way that would make Brittany smack the back of his head. She smirks at the image of that playing in her mind. "That's hot." He says and looks to his friend for approval and agreement while Santana chokes back a gag and does her best to control her eye roll.

"Yeah, I am." She replies confidently but sure to let the annoyance drip from her words. The Latina clears her throat and straightens her posture bringing her pen to her server pad and looks between the two gentlemen at her table. "Do you want to hear the specials?" It's a question she normally doesn't ask seeing as she is supposed to recite the specials regardless but she desperately wants this particular visit to be as short as humanly possible.

"No but I'll tell you what I do want." Guy number two chimes in and that's it for Santana and she quickly stuffs her pen into the messy bun sitting on the top of her head and shoves her notepad into her apron.

"Look, I get that you guys are on your lunch break and your jobs probably suck. Sitting in a cubicle all day sending porn contained e-mails to one another, probably on the company's message system no doubt and wondering when it will be your turn to be on top and in the executive offices on the top floor." Her hands rest on the edge of the table as she leans towards them. Just enough to let them know she means business and also just enough so they can get a quick yet exciting glance down her shirt so that they'll still like her, leave her a tip and also most importantly not complain to her boss.

"Now we could play this little game if you want where I ask you if you want the specials and you ask me if I'm on the specials, which I'm not, especially not on your menu." She quirks an eyebrow to the blonde guy to her right. "But let me warn you that this game is what is going to cost you that spot you so desperately want and the only reason you took that mail room job two years ago and have been fighting tooth and nail to never fall back down to. So let's cut the crap, order your tuna sandwiches with well done fries so you guys can get back to work and get those promotions because the longer you stay here and try to get my number and ogle my goodies the closer you are to heading back down to that lower level status. And we don't want that now do we?" She stands back up and crosses her arms over her chest letting her words sink into their tiny, tiny brains. Blonde guys look to his friend and gulps.

"Umm, no, I uh…"

"I'll have a blt on wheat." The other guy says folding his menu and handing to a now smiling Santana.

"I'll have a cob salad please." Blonde guy tells her, handing his menu over. "And two waters please." He raises two fingers for visual affect and she nods.

"Very well gentlemen, you've made good choices today." She all but skips over to the host stand to drop off the menus and slaps her order on the kitchen counter for the cook. "This job is easy." She says to herself as she pours the two glasses of water.

* * *

><p>The music stops and the teacher tell some of them they need work, some good job and Brittany amazing work. The students walk to the side of the stage to gather their things, talking amongst themselves either complaining or gossiping.<p>

"This is ridiculous." One girl says, blotting her neck with a towel. "It is like one million degrees in here."

"That chick over there is way hotter than this room." A guy responds with a stupid smirk on his face. The girl turns to him rolling her eyes in the same motion and notices him looking out to the chairs off stage. "Right there." He nods in the direction of said girl.

"Who is she? Does she go here?" The girl wonders looking back to her friend.

"I don't know, but she's been watching the whole time." He wriggles his eyebrows before taking a quick sip from his water jug.

"Probably some guys girlfriend." The girl comments and goes back to retrieving her things from her duffel bag.

"Maybe she just likes watching." He says in a low voice that's meant to be sexual but it makes the girl chuckle.

"You're a moron." This time he laughs, grabbing his bag and turns back to the girl who is still sporting that same smirk she had been wearing the entire time, her eyes following something on stage.

He turns his head back to the other side of the stage to find out what or who that something is. His eyes land on that cute blonde girl, Brittany, in his class. She smiles proudly and waves softly with her fingers and he catches the dark haired girl mouth 'hey' right back to her. He grins to himself, happy to see the dark haired hottie is not here for her boyfriend, so he walks over to Brittany.

"Brittany right?" He asks causing her to turn and face him, she nods but stares at him in confusion. "I'm Kyle." He says, extending his hand and she just tilts her head. "We're in this class together." She smiles and nods in recognition.

"I thought you looked familiar." She continues to kindly grin.

"Anyway, I was wondering, is that your friend over there?" He asks, pointing to the audience and Brittany sighs a giggle and nods her head.

"Umm, yeah." She tells him, a mischievous smile on her lips. "That's Santana."

"Does this Santana have a boyfriend?" Brittany laughs again throwing her Cheerio's duffel bag over her shoulder and drinking from her water bottle.

"No, no boyfriend." She shakes her head and he smiles quickly glancing over his shoulder to Santana who is now on the phone.

"So she's single?" He steps in front of Brittany who had been trying to walk away and off stage and the blonde gives him a look.

"I didn't say that." She tells him softly, playing with the nozzle of her water bottle with her lips watching the information play with his facial expressions.

So… she's seeing someone?" Brittany is about to open her mouth but is cut off.

"Babe you ready?" Santana asks, shoving her phone in her pocket and grinning up at the blonde.

"Coming." She tells her girlfriend and turns back to Kyle. "She doesn't have a boyfriend she has a me." She grins leaving Kyle behind, hops off stage and jogs into Santana's waiting arms giving her a quick peck on the lips as way of greeting.

"You look so hot up there." Is the last thing Kyle hears as he watches the cute blonde from his dance class and the dark haired hottie walk out of the theater only to be taken out of his thoughts from the cackling laughter from his friend standing only a few feet away.

"Priceless." The girl says shaking her head.


	4. Chapter 4

**_yay! 2 updates so close together:) it's exciting. thanks again for all the reviews you guys totally rock my world._**

**_this chapter is still just kind of getting the feel of how life in their apartment is and seeing Brittana as a domestic couple (which i love)_**

**_read and review:)_**

* * *

><p>Rachel pushes by her fellow New Yorkers and grins to herself as she reads the text from Quinn for a third time.<p>

'_See you tomorrow. Luv you'_

Only a handful more hours and the blonde would be by her side, holding her hand, holding her body, kissing her lips and her body. She blushes at those thoughts but in all seriousness she hadn't really considered the actual physical distance from Quinn's body and the blonde's from hers. To say that she was sexually frustrated would be a complete understatement and the fact that she lived with the couple most likely to be the first lesbians in the world to pro-create, well, just know they were of no help.

In a way she envied their sexual freedom, the way the outside world did not dictate or affect the way their bodies clearly worked together. But at the same time she so desperately that her presence would at least determine whether or not they felt it appropriate to grope each other in front of her very eyes.

Her grin remained in place for the rest of the walk home. It was almost 5:15pm which meant both Santana and Brittany were going to be home when she arrived which meant one of two things. They ordered food which was a huge plus considering she was starving or they were making out on the couch and have absolutely no concept of time. Rachel was banking on the second option but hoping for the first because truth be told both options ended with Brittany's mouth on Santana's.

After sending Quinn a quick response text, _'I love you too'_, she shoves her phone in her bag and pushes their apartment door open. Her grin turns into a smirk and her head shakes, making her way further into the apartment and closing the door with her foot. Santana and Brittany are indeed home, and just as she had expected there they were making out on the couch with the television blaring in the background.

"Hey guys, my day was absolutely delightful and yours?" Rachel has a fake conversation more with herself than with her friends and tosses her keys onto the table against the wall by the coat closet. "Really? Wow, some day." She puts her book bag under the table and shakes her head some more with an amused smile playing on her lips as she goes through the mail.

Neither Brittany nor Santana has yet to come up for air or even send the brunette some sort of sign that acknowledges she is present. So after sorting through the mail Rachel figures this is her chance to watch some of her favorite television shows and not one of those money hungry people shows that Britt and Santana are obsessed with. With a quick run to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water she walks around the couch and takes a seat beside her roommates, her friends.

Somewhere between their bodies she spots the remote and grabs it just before Brittany's hand comes down to tickle Santana's side, right where her shirt is bunching up. Brittany is sitting on Santana's lap, her hands moving from the Latina's cheeks to her sides and to her hips every now and again. Meanwhile Santana's hands rub up and down the blonde's back, pulling their bodies closely together. Rachel felt confident that things would remain pg-13, there hadn't been any moaning since she walked in so she was betting she would be safe to sit there and watch television.

With one quick press of a button the channel changed and suddenly she felt eyes on her. The noises of lips and tongues smacking together stopped as well as the sounds of hands moving around fabric. She glanced to the side of her and saw that Brittany and Santana had pulled apart and were now looking at her, gawking even. Santana's eyebrow quirked and her upper lip seemed to snarl, while Brittany's eyebrows were raised and her mouth slightly open.

"We were watching that." Santana says incredulously and obviously irritated.

"Yeah Rach, that wasn't cool." Brittany agrees, her hand moving from Santana's neck and to the front of her shirt playing with the zipper there. Rachel's eyes squint and her head jerks back.

"You guys were not even looking at the television and you didn't even know I was here." Rachel defends pointing behind her to the door she had come through without so much as a head nod in her direction.

"We are not greeters at a Wal-Mart, I spend enough time trying to be nice to strangers I don't have the energy to pretend with you. You already know I'm a bitch." She grins, eyeing the girl sitting beside her and her girlfriend, who pokes her side and chuckles.

"Santana stop." Brittany says softly and turns to Rachel and slides herself off of Santana's laps so that only her legs are draped over the Latina's. "What times Quinn coming in tomorrow?" Rachel smiles at the mention of the blonde currently missing from her daily equation.

"Her flight comes in at 9:00 am." The diva tells her friend with a nod.

"Oh thank god." Santana huffs. "I seriously can't take mopey Berry status any longer." She whines throwing her head back into the sofa.

"I resent that comment Santana. Just imagine being in my shoes." She comments only to receive a once over from those brown eyes beside her.

"I would never be caught dead in those shoes." Santana points out with a laugh and gaining a slap on the arm from Rachel herself rather than Brittany who usually provides them. "Chill out munchkin. It'll be good for you to get some time with Q, I know it's been rough." Her features soften and she offers a kind smile to the smaller girl.

"Honestly it has been but, you guys have helped." Rachel admits turning her attention back to the television for a moment.

"Awe I think she likes us." Brittany coos reaching over her girlfriend and pinches Rachel's cheeks and the brunette bats her hand away with a giggle. "Can we keep her?" She rests her head onto Santana's who sighs.

"Unfortunately I think we have to."

* * *

><p>"I think you should be a teacher." Brittany breathes out, her hand resting on Santana's chest that is slowly rising and falling under her palm. The Latina giggles, bringing her own hand up to blonde hair and running her fingers through it.<p>

"I have to actually start school if I'm gonna be _anything_." She explains and her body moves when Brittany shrugs her shoulders.

"You have that meeting on Monday with the dean of NYU about attending in the spring." The blonde points out and Santana nods at this. "You make it sound like you're never going to go anywhere."

"Teaching would be cool I guess." She answers, her mind actually running with the notion of being an educator.

"And you would totally be a kickass one and think about all those detentions you can give out." Brittany laughs turning her head into Santana's chest and kissing the skin there.

"Mmm, yeah that part would be kind of fun. Being in charge is always fun." She muses moving her head to bring her lips to the top of her girl's head and placing a kiss there. "What made you think about that?" Santana inquires, her eyebrows furrowing and her nose scrunching at the seemingly out of nowhere statement.

"Well," Brittany lifts her head and turns so that she is looking up at Santana slipping her hand between her cheek and her girlfriend's chest. "You've been helping me since forever with _my_ school work and I know you tutored Tina in the tenth grade." Santana's cheeks turn a tint of pink and she averts her eyes momentarily. She was pretty certain she forced Tina into secrecy about that little study group the two of them had. Being smart was one thing but being a nerd was so not cool. "Being smart makes you so hot Santana." Brittany explains, her voice low and husky and her eyes flicker from brown ones to full luscious lips that slowly turn up into a smile.

"Maybe." She sighs, her head tilting onto her pillow her gaze still locked onto Brittany's. "I just want to do something I'm gonna love and without sounding all soft and mushy but… the only thing that I'm even sure of is that where ever I wind up working I want to come home to you." She looks down at her hand that's playing with their comforter. Brittany smiles softly, watching Santana trying to play it cool. "I just want to come home to you every single day forever." She takes a deep breath and finally looks back at the blonde who is undoubtedly staring back at her with adoration.

"Why do you do that?" Brittany asks innocently and curiously. Santana's head moves further back into the pillow, confusion etched all over her face.

"What? What am I doing?" Brittany pushes herself up further until she is sitting up and looking down at her girlfriend whose hand slides down her arm.

"Say things like that to me?" She clarifies biting on her lower lip and fixing the top of Santana's tank top. Santana lets out a slight chuckle and runs her hand up and down Brittany's arm, feeling the goose bumps she creates under her finger tips.

"Because it's the truth." Santana explains, wrapping her fingers around the blonde's wrist and tugging it, not hard enough to make her fall back onto her body but just enough to get her attention. Brittany rolls her eyes, in that embarrassed kind of way and tightens her lips trying her best to conceal a smile. "I'm serious Britt."

"Just when I think I can't fall more in love with you." Brittany tells her, shaking her head and brings her hand up to rest beside Santana's. "You prove me wrong and I'm just falling all over again, harder and deeper." She says, lowering herself over Santana's face, their lips inches apart. "I am," She whispers onto the Latina's lips, her eyes flickering up and down. "One hundred percent, without a doubt, no questions asked so fucking in love with you sometimes I forget my own name." She finally brings her lips onto Santana's kissing her sweetly and softly until that's not good enough.

* * *

><p>The next morning, er, early afternoon comes and the sun finds the barely covered bodies of one Santana Lopez and her girlfriend Brittany Pierce. Brittany is the first to wake up, slowly blinking out sleep from her eyes and glances at the window that has decided to wake her up. The black curtains that normally block out the morning light has somehow slipped open and is currently allowing the light to make its way through. She yawns and turns back towards the body that is more or less an extension of her own.<p>

Santana's eyes are still closed and her lips are slightly parted, her hair splayed over their red pillow cases and Brittany thinks back to her girlfriend's words from the night before. If Santana had hopes of coming home to Brittany ever day then the blonde most definitely was looking forward to this part of their future. Waking up every day to the love of her life and the most beautiful person she has ever met next to her, well, nothing could ever compare, she was sure of that.

She smiles to herself, humming out a breath in the process and she leans over to place a soft kiss to her girlfriend's lips. Santana shifts her legs, closes her mouth and opens it a few times and mumbles a few incoherent words before slowly attempting to open her eyes. Brittany rests her head back on the pillow and watches the whole Santana waking up process, the way she does almost every other day. Santana squints, licks her lips and then smiles softly in that I-just-woke-up-but-I'm-happy-to-see-your-face-in-front-of-my-face kind of way.

"Morning." Santana croaks out, her voice obviously not prepared for any kind of conversation. Brittany grins, leans in again for a quick kiss.

"Morning, I'm gonna make some coffee." Santana nods and licks her lips again.

"I'll be right out." She tells the blonde who moves to crawl over the still sleepy Latina, grabbing some panties and a tank top before heading out.

After a quick stop at the bathroom Brittany makes her way to the kitchen and has the coffee ready to go within minutes. With that settled she figures that this morning fruit sounds like a good way to start after some sweet lady kisses. She smiles to herself, humming the tune of a song Santana had been singing in the shower the other day as she grabs two bowls and the container of fruit Rachel had cut up the day before.

"Mmmm, is there pineapple in there babe?" Comes Santana's raspy morning voice. Brittany grins, looking over her shoulder when she feels Santana's hand land on her hip which is lacking some clothing coverage thanks to the short tank top she had chosen. She nods and turns her attention back to the task at hand and gets a soft kiss on her cheek from her girl.

"I didn't get milk or creamer." Brittany tells the shorter girl when she hears the refrigerator door open.

"We still doing that not putting anything in our coffee thing?" Santana asks curiously and sounding a little disappointed. Brittany smirks and glances over to the Latina.

"Yep, Jillian Michael's says it's better for your metabolism or whatever." She shrugs and grabs the two prepared bowls and sets them on the table.

"Is it weird that all I really want, besides a million dollars and you naked all the time is for her to scream in my face?" Santana asks with all the honesty she can muster this early in the morning. Brittany snorts and shakes her head, taking a seat at the table.

"It's not asking for much." She humors her girlfriend with her fantasies of the reality television trainer. It's all she ever said during their viewings of 'The Biggest Loser'.

"Seriously."

"Well, well, well." Another and very familiar voice comes from the hallway and both girls turn with hesitant but hopeful smiles on their faces. "If it isn't the ambiguously, always trying to be as naked as possible in public but not quite, gay couple of the year." Quinn turns the corner and leans again the doorway, crossing her arms and arching one of her perfect eyebrows.

"Quinn." Brittany squeals and all but climbs over the table running her body right in to Quinn's.

"Hey Britt." The other blonde wraps her arms around her friend, closing her eyes as she squeezes tightly.

"We miss you." The taller girl admits sadly.

"I know I miss you guys too." Quinn admits, opening her eyes letting them land on Santana who is still smiling from ear to ear. "I see you still dress so appropriately for breakfast." She motions to their morning getups, short tank stops and underwear and she laughs.

"This is exactly what I was trying to tell you." Rachel says, appearing almost out of nowhere. "They only where clothes outside of this apartment, I'm thoroughly convinced they would be literally naked if it weren't for me living here." She adds crossing her arms, but there's amusement in her voice.

"We tried that but I don't want Berry to get too jealous of my smoking bod." Santana motions to her own body and smirks. "Come here Q." She steps up to the blonde and holds her arms out. "How long you staying?"

"Only for the weekend, I've got classes Monday." She forces out through the bear hug the Latina pulled her into.

"That's a major bummer." Santana comments finally moving away and back to her seat across from Brittany and digging into her breakfast/lunch.

"I know, it sucks but it's better than nothing." Quinn tells her, her eyes moving to her own girlfriend who nods once. "So we should make the most of it. Rachel was telling me that these kids from her school always talk about this little hole in the wall bar and it has karaoke." She grins and claps her hands.

"Oh my god Santana is that the place we walked by last week?" Brittany cheers, her hands slamming down onto the kitchen table with excitement. Santana looks up to the ceiling, as though to retrieve the memory and then looks to Rachel who nods with a smile.

"Yeah Britt, I guess it is." She shrugs and goes back to enjoying her fruit. "I'm totally in, Berry was telling us they have like, contests and shit." She pushes her chair back when the coffee is done brewing. "You guys want coffee?"

"I'm good." Rachel shakes her head, grabbing Quinn's hand and leading them to the sofa and away from the kitchen.

"Yeah sure." Quinn nods with a smile. "So," She calls over her shoulder. "Santana has been telling me that someone is getting exquisite grades in all of her classes." She announces, looking over at Brittany from her spot on the couch. Brittany grins and glances at her girlfriend who is busy pouring coffee into three mugs.

"It's true." She replies turning back to Quinn and jumps up from her chair, runs to the refrigerator, yanks a paper from a magnet and moves to the couch within seconds. "I got an A on my paper on _Othello_." Quinn's eyes nearly bulged out of her sockets as she took the paper from the blonde's hands.

"Wow." She breathes out flipping through the pages, noting next to no red pen markings in the margins. "Brittany, this is… I'm so proud of you." Quinn smiles brightly up at her friend, squeezing her hand in her own. "This is awesome and most definitely fridge material." She winks handing the paper back.

"Santana put it up there as soon as I brought it home." She beams skipping back to the kitchen and slipping the paper back under the magnet neatly. Quinn makes eye contact with Santana who had been watching the whole scene play out with pride.

"Quinn." Rachel speaks up, nudging her foot underneath her girlfriend's thigh to get her attention in case calling her name didn't work. The blonde on the couch moves her gaze from her friends in the kitchen to her girlfriend beside her and she smiles warmly. "You want to go out to lunch?" She asks, tucking her lightly curled fists under her chin looking hopeful and as adorable as she can will herself to be. Quinn chuckles and leans over the diva's legs an presses their lips together.

"With you anywhere." She winks when she pulls back and taps her palms onto Rachel's thighs, squeezing them ever so slightly. "Come on." She smacks the legs lightly and playfully. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Quinn and Rachel return in the early evening from lunch, a walk and some sightseeing to be greeted with music blasting from somewhere in the apartment. The blonde giggles as her girlfriend takes her jacket from her and hangs it on the coat rack with her roommate's jackets and her own. Rachel shakes her head with a small grin playing at her lips and follows Quinn through the apartment and down the hall leading towards the room the sounds are coming from.<p>

The door to Santana and Brittany's room is wide open and Quinn stops in front of it and spots the couple dancing around the room without a care in the world. They pull one another close, dancing with each other, spinning and turning and then moving apart for some of their own moves to come out. Quinn laughs, throwing her head back when Brittany hops on the bed and points at Santana who indulges her blonde and motions to herself both of them singing along to an old Britney Spears song.

Rachel sidles up beside her girlfriend, snaking her arm around the blonde's waste pulling her close and resting her head on her shoulder. She watches as well, seeing Brittany jump from the bed and into Santana's waiting arms and then spins them around quickly both of them laughing and then falling onto the bed. The song fades out and Quinn lets their presence be known by applauding the show that she and Rachel had been given.

"Bravo." She declares getting both girls attention. Santana bolts up from the bed and runs to the desk to her iPod dock to lower the volume.

"How long have you been standing there?" The Latina asks slightly out of breath and red from both exertion and embarrassment.

"Long enough to see your gnarly moves S." Quinn winks with a giggle. Santana rolls her eyes in the way she does and joins her girlfriend on the bed once again.

"We just got back, so don't worry." Rachel chimes in, chuckling along with the blonde beside her.

"We were just preparing for a fun filled, dancing and singing night." Brittany turns on her side, propping her head in her hand leaning on her elbow. "Santana said she's gonna sing tonight." She tells their friends, poking the dark haired girl's side with her foot.

"Yeah, if we're gonna do this nonsense there need to be some ground rules." Santana looks over at Rachel. "There will be absolutely no show tunes, no Barbra and please for all that is holy absolutely no Journey." She pleads but makes sure to remain stone faced during her demands. The two blondes fall into hysterics while Rachel's mouth hangs open.

"I'll have you know that Journey probably has the most songs that are performed at karaoke than any other artist." Rachel points out.

"Exactly, I think we got enough Journey for a lifetime with Glee club." Quinn explains agreeing whole heartedly with Santana who nods affirmatively.

"Fine, but Barbra?" Rachel practically cries. "I mean, seriously, bite your tongue." She puts her hands on her hips trying to be fierce is not one of her strong suits and only gives Santana the ammo to fall into a fit of giggles with the other three girls.

Quinn drags Rachel away from the room of the laughing couple and into her room, shutting the door behind them. She leads her to the bed, taking a seat and pulling her down with her. They sit there, heads resting on one another's and arms wrapping around each other.

"I've missed you so much." Quinn sighs, lifting her head a little to bring her lips to Rachel's forehead. "You have no idea."

"I do Quinn, believe me." Rachel tells her as she grabs her hand and brings it into her lap. "But can we not sit here and talk about all that stuff. You're here now, we're together right now." Her fingers trail up the blonde's arm and she watches as Quinn's chest pulls in quickly with the deep breath she takes in and holds.

"You're so beautiful Rach." Quinn hums out onto the other girl's shoulder, her lips grazing the skin there. "Inside and out, just, so beautiful." She brings her hand up to cup Rachel's cheek and turns her face to meet her own and places a sweet kiss to the corner of her mouth. "I love you." She whispers before moving to kiss her full on the lips and pushing her back to the bed.

* * *

><p>Santana and Brittany are on the couch, their limbs tangled, remote in Brittany's hand and a bottle of tequila in Santana's. Swig for swig they pass the bottle back and forth and taking turns yelling at the television set.<p>

"Oh come on that is not even realistic." Santana hollers after the burning sensation leaves her throat and hands the bottle over to the blonde.

"It could happen." Brittany shrugs accepting the offered bottle and brings her lips to the rim. Santana jerks her head to the side and eyes the girl next to her.

"Brittany, there is no way that a guy is going to sleep with his best friends girl." She shakes her head. "I mean seriously, dudes 'dead' and homeboy is all up in his lady's personal space." She finishes and reaches for the bottle.

"But it's kind of romantic. I mean, they find love through grief." Brittany points out, turning to Santana and watching her take a big sip.

"It's not romantic it's kind of pathetic." She tells her in all seriousness. "You're telling me that if I died and there was no Quinn that you'd have sex with Rachel because you were both sad?" Her eyebrows quirks up, her eyes widening waiting for a response. Brittany taps her lips and looks up to the ceiling, obviously giving the question good thought. "Brittany." Santana whines with laughter and pushes the blonde's shoulder. Brittany giggles and shakes her head.

"That's real life Santana, this is a movie." She motions to the screen and puts the bottle Santana hands her onto the coffee table in front of them.

"My point exactly, it would never happen in real life." She repeats her earlier statement and just as before Brittany shrugs.

"Are they done having sex yet? I really wanna go out and watch you sing." Brittany nudges her girlfriend's shoulder with her own getting a sigh out of the Latina.

"I don't know babe, I mean, they've been in there for hours." She looks down at the clock on the cable box. It was only 10:30pm but still, if they were going to go out they had to start getting prepared for that soon. She and Brittany had begun that process, i.e. the tequila, but even so they needed to get ready. "And I really don't want to talk about them having sex for hours, it's not only killing my buzz but seriously makes me sick to my stomach." Brittany rolls her eyes before reaching for the bottle of tequila again.

"You are such a baby." The blonde comments, letting her body fall against the Latina's.

"Awe boo, I love you too." Santana chuckles, pressing her lips to Brittany's temple.

"Hey bitches let's get ready to go." Quinn's voice booms off the walls of the apartment, startling the couple on the couch.

"New York gives you a potty mouth." Santana says, a small hint of pride in her voice. "I like it."

* * *

><p><strong><em>okay, so i know these last two chapters were short and not a lot of real 'plot' but i just really want to paint the picture of their lives together and what not. i hope you guys enjoy what i'm doing here. the next chapter will be the rest of Quinn's visit among other things:) 3<em>**


	5. Chapter 5

**_thank you for all of your reviews. i eat em up like candy:)_**

**_this chapter, though it does have some important things, it's kind of a filler. idk. again, it's still the beginning and i promise lots of goodness is coming your way._**

* * *

><p>The city streets run at the same tempo as during the day the only differences being the types of people out. During the early morning and afternoon the sidewalks and streets are full of men in their business suits talking with grunts into their Blackberry's and carrying their briefcases. The women are equally accessorized but sporting their business woman attire more often than not donning some sort of LANYC power suit and pumps that show off their calf muscles at work.

At night even though it's packed just the same and trying to get a taxi is like trying to make dinner plans with Jesus there's a completely different vibe. There are the few that are in their normal day to day mad dash because they're running late, which seemed to be the consensus in this city or they were frantically trying to be first in line for some new club opening. Others just mill through the crowd minding their own business and off to a destination that can wait for their arrival because it's only semi important.

Coming from a small town like Lima, Ohio, the four friends found themselves being more a part of the latter group. They were in no rush, which from a spectator's point of view might appear odd, considering these were four young college girls. But they are in no rush because they know that no matter what time is going to continue whether they like it or not. So instead of being hasty, they would rather enjoy themselves and each other.

Quinn and Rachel walk casually, hand in hand ahead of Santana and Brittany who are a few feet behind arm in arm with Brittany's head leaning into Santana's every now and again. There are a few people who brush by and huff about how slow they're walking but none of the girls pay any mind to it, too wrapped up in their own world with their significant other to care about someone in a rush to nowhere.

"How different do you think it will be when Quinn comes here next year?" Brittany asks quietly, squeezing Santana's arm a little tighter.

"Well, for starters Berry will stop singing 'All By Myself' when we get her drunk." Santana sighs and the blonde by her side giggles into her shoulder which makes her grin.

"That's not what I meant." The taller girl vaguely replies nudging her nose into her girlfriend's neck. "I mean, for us. It's different that we live with Rachel but I mean, two couples living together…" She leaves the rest of her thought open ended hoping Santana will be able to finish her sentence. But after a few seconds the Latina doesn't respond so she figures to add to her comment. "I was thinking and I know it's super far away and you're already working so hard as it is but, when Quinn moves here next fall do you want to get our own place?" Her words stammer out of her mouth, Santana quickly picking up on the nervousness and hesitation from the girl on her arm. The dark haired girl glances to her right, Brittany is resting her head on her shoulder which bounces up with each step taken. Her lips twist in thought, she had assumed that one day the two of them would get their own place without Berry cramping her style but, she figured it would be a little further down the line.

"Britt- I…" Words seem to escape her and it's not because she's going to say no.

"Forget it, you're right it's too soon to discuss and… it's a dumb idea." Brittany spits out so quickly everything sounds like one word. Santana stops walking and steps in front of the blonde immediately catching her blue eyes.

"It's not a dumb idea Brittany." She assures her girlfriend, bringing her fingers to lift Brittany's chin a little. She grins and leans in to place a small kiss on her lips. "And you're right, two couples is probably not the best recipe for a happy home." They both giggle and Brittany nods as though Santana is saying what her words failed to. "Plus, two lesbian couples." She scrunches her nose, making a disapproving face getting another chuckle from the blonde. "How about, after I start school in the spring… hopefully."

"You will." Brittany affirms with a steady nod.

"And hopefully I do well."

"You will." She rolls her eyes. "You're smart." Santana smiles proudly.

"Well, if everything goes according to plan then this summer we can look around. I mean, how many different neighbors have we had in the past month. I can only assume it will be easy enough to find a place." She presses her index finger to Brittany's nose before leaning in and kissing the corner of her mouth. "Now, let's go before they think we bailed." She nods her head in the direction of their friends who are almost a block ahead of them.

When they catch up to Quinn and Rachel, the girls have already come to a stop in front of the bar. It's loud inside but it's to be expected what with being a bar and all, oh and because it's karaoke night. Luckily, just as one of Rachel's classmates had told her, there is no I.D. check at the door and Santana found out quickly that getting a drink was just as easy.

The girls found a small table a few feet in from the door and a few feet back from the 'stage'. Santana comes over and is quick to hand out the drinks she'd managed to carry over herself.

"A beer for Q, a beer for Berry, a beer for you and one for me." She smiles as she takes a seat and a swig from her bottle.

"Thanks S." Quinn practically shouts at her but in the dingy loud bar it sounds like a whisper. "Are you really gonna sing?" She quirks an eyebrow at her friend who side eyes her girlfriend.

"Oh come on Santana, you said you wanted to get your singing on." Brittany points out with a small pout getting her girl to roll her eyes and grab her hand.

"Come on let's find me a song then." The couple gets up, leaving their beers with their friends as they go and ask the DJ for the music book.

"So my mom wanted me to ask you to join us for Thanksgiving." Quinn leans towards her girlfriend.

"Oh, your mom wants me there." Rachel smirks, resting the bottle down and playing with the label. Quinn rolls her eyes in a very Lopez fashion and nudges the diva's arm with her shoulder.

"I want you there too bonehead." She clarifies. "Come on, it'll be fun. She even promised to make a vegan cuisine for you." She nods, slowly bringing the beer bottle to her lips.

"Oh, she doesn't have to." Rachel shakes her head and waves her hands in the air for emphasis.

"Is that a yes then?" Quinn quirks an eyebrow. Rachel nods, leaning in to place a chaste kiss onto her girlfriend's lips. "I love you." She pretty much mouths rather than says onto Rachel's lips and even though the brunette may not be able to hear her, Quinn can feel the smile on the other girl's lips.

After Santana's rendition of 'Spice Up Your Life', which she dedicated to Brittany the girls relaxed at the table and enjoyed each other's company. Quinn tried to get Rachel up to the microphone but the diva insisted that she spend the evening by her girlfriend's side.

"Do you know what you're studying yet?" Santana asks after one of those awful screeching singers finishes massacring 'Lady Marmalade' with her friends. Quinn shrugs, peeling the label of her beer off the bottle.

"I haven't really considered anything much. I'm just trying to get through the first semester." She explains. "Besides, I have three years until I have to commit to anything. I'm not gonna rush it." Santana nods in understanding, grinning when Brittany leans over and whispers something in her ear. "Have you?" Quinn jumps back into conversation and pointing at the dark haired girl. "I mean, when you start in the spring, have you thought about what you want to do?" Santana glances over at Brittany for a second.

"Not yet, but there are a few things I've been thinking about." Brittany presses her lips to Santana's cheek, quickly bringing her thumb to the skin and wiping away the smudge of lip gloss she left behind.

"So, Quinn just invited me to Thanksgiving." Rachel leans over the table so their friends can hear her.

"Don't you like, not eat animals?" Santana asks with confused annoyance but backtracks when she gets a kick to her shin from Quinn. "I mean, that's cute." She slaps on a fake happy smile and brings her beer to her lips.

"That's great guys." Brittany beams at everyone at the table. "Santana and I were thinking of having our own Thanksgiving." Quinn's eyebrows raise and Rachel shoots Santana and intrigued look.

"Really?" The diva asks looking over at her girlfriend.

"How very domesticated of you Santana." Quinn mocks with a wink. "Will you be preparing the turkey?"

"Make fun all you want, but I'll have you know that I help my mother cook every year for Thanksgiving." She crosses her arms over her chest and leans back in her chair. "My stuffing is the shit." Brittany nods moving her eyes from her girlfriend to the girls across from them.

"It's true. It's so good." The blonde agrees.

"So we aren't even gonna see you for Thanksgiving?" The question comes out of Quinn's lips before she thinks about it, and it comes out sounding more upset than as in question form.

"Hey, it's all good. We are still gonna see you at Christmas break." Santana points out easily enough and it works.

"Yeah, that's true."

"And we can totally have our own little New Years Eve gathering if we really wanted to." Rachel suggests.

"You guys are really the best friends a girl could ask for." Quinn shoots all three girls a goofy grin. "And you are the best girlfriend." She whispers onto Rachel's lips.

* * *

><p>"No he would not win." Santana shakes her head, throwing her hands up in the process. "You are ridiculous."<p>

"Me? There's no way she would win." Quinn counters, shifting in her spot on the couch to face the smaller girl. "She is like a pebble compared to him, he's like a boulder."

"Are we seriously talking about the same woman here?" Santana's head jerks back. "The same woman who asked to stay awake during her appendectomy because she wanted to make sure no funny business was going on." Quinn rolls her eyes.

"Okay, a high threshold for pain and straight up lunacy does not mean she would win." Quinn folds her arms. "Can you stop smirking like that every time you get a text from Brittany." She kicks her foot out towards Santana's hands.

"You're just pissy because you know I'm right. And if we bet money on it, you'd be broke as fuck." Santana replies, smirk still intact as she thumbs out a response on her phone.

"Ugh you have got to be kidding me." Rachel storms into the living room interrupting a debate between Quinn and Santana about who would win in a cage match. Sue Sylvester or Hulk Hogan. The blonde looks up curiously as Rachel gives her cell phone a dirty look and all but slams it onto the kitchen counter.

"What's wrong Rach?" She asks, batting away Santana's hands that are flicking her. Rachel looks over at her girlfriend and puffs out her cheeks before letting the air come out slowly.

"I just got a text message from this girl from my class and she found out somehow that we are having a pop quiz in Modern Literature." She walks towards the couch, arms crossed over her chest. "I have not been able to get this reading down and she said she has the two essay questions so they're having some emergency study group tonight."

"I could help you." Santana offers, suddenly finding the problem Rachel is having more interesting than pestering her blonde buddy beside her.

"Yeah, S is good with English." Quinn points out and Santana approves this statement with a nod.

"No offense Santana, but, you haven't taken a college course yet. The demands are a lot higher and greater than that of a regular high school essay. There's a thesis, background but they want us to use life experiences and relate to the work." Rachel says point blank and in her fit of worry of her own academic standings she doesn't notice the hurt look on Santana's face. Quinn watches Santana get up from the couch and head down the hall.

"So are you going to this study group?" Quinn asks, tossing one last glance to the hallway before returning her gaze to her girlfriend. Rachel shrugs her shoulders and moves to take the spot on the couch Santana had just left.

"If I do that means I have to cancel our plans." She explains feeling awful about leaving her girlfriend alone on the last night she is staying in New York.

"Sweetie, it's totally okay. School is just as important. If you feel like you need this extra study time I completely understand." She reaches up and tucks some stray hairs behind Rachel's ear.

"You won't be mad at me?"

"I'd only be mad at you if you didn't tell me about this and then got a bad grade on the test."

"Pop quiz." Rachel corrects.

"Whatever. Go get your study on as Santana would say." Quinn kisses her cheek and shoos her away.

"What are you going to do while I'm gone?" Rachel asks picking her phone back up from the kitchen counter.

"I'm sure I can find something to do." She smiles at her girlfriend before getting up and leading her to the door.

When the door closes Quinn walks around the apartment for a few minutes just looking around. She can't fight the grin on her face at the thought of this place being her home next fall. It was all going to work out just the way they planned it and it amazed her because nothing ever went as planned, for her anyway.

She finds herself standing in front of Santana and Brittany's bedroom. The door is open and she sees Santana sitting on the bed with a few papers and a text book in her lap. The Latina is looking from the text book to the papers and every now and again scribbling something down.

"What are you doing?" She asks and Santana looks up surprised to find her friend standing there staring at her.

"I was just going over one of Brittany's papers." She explains, shoving the papers into the text book and shutting it. "She trusts me with her studies." She tosses out and looks away from Quinn.

"That's not what she meant S." The blonde sighs and makes her way towards the bed, taking a seat by Santana's feet. "You know how Rachel is… she's very do it herself." Santana shrugs her shoulders and nods.

"Yeah, well… whatever." She chucks the text book on to Brittany's side of the bed. "So now that the hobbit is out you wanna do something?"

"Where's Britt?"

"She has a dance class till 11:30 so I was just gonna order in and watch a movie." Santana explains her evenings plans and Quinn huffs, waving her hand in disapproval.

"No, we are going out. Let's… I don't know, get drunk." She laughs out and the idea automatically garners a 'hell yes' from her friend.

The plan, well there is no plan. Santana tells her friend that they are going to have a go with the flow night, Lima Heights style. Quinn was very aware of what would be considered Lima Heights style so she was not at all surprised when Santana tossed her a hoodie, lent her a pair of Brittany's sneakers and told her she didn't need make up what kind of night tonight would be made of.

The city was loud but they were in their own bubble not having a care in the world. They sat on a random bench by the park, not in the park because 'that shit is scary', Santana's exact words. With them on the bench were two forty ounce beers, the cheapest kind they could find and ironically the most potent, and these were ceremoniously concealed in brown paper bags provided for by the store clerk. They had a book of mad libs with them, three slim-jims, skittles and a pack of Menthol cigarettes. Oh, and a bag of Funions to disguise the smell of smoke on their breath.

"Why did we get cigarettes again?" Quinn asks curiously as Santana hands her one.

"Because, you don't smoke and I'm a bad influence." She explains casually making Quinn burst out into giggles. "You are so buzzed already." Santana laughs poking her friend's shoulder.

"No I'm not." She shrugs it off and does it best to play it cool which only eggs on their laughter.

"I love slim-jims." Santana hums as she chews on the salty treat. "This shit is the bomb." Her eyes close as she savors every bit of flavor in her mouth.

"You are so right S." Quinn agrees practically shoving the whole stick into her mouth forming a big wad in her cheek. "This stuff is so good, I think I want these at my wedding." She admits in all seriousness and her dreams are interrupted by the cackling laughter from the girl beside her.

"Yeah, can you just imagine wedding guests chomping on some slim-jims." Santana tosses her body into the blonde's who grabs her arm for stability.

"Oh my god, I can..." Quinn pushes out through heavy breaths. After a few more minutes of what seemed to be never ending laugh fest, they finally calm down and continue to enjoy their treats and .99 alcoholic beverages. "Hmmm…"

"What?" Santana asks her eyes watching a young couple walk by them with their dog.

"I was just thinking about weddings." Quinn sighs out and her head tilts to the side in thought.

"What about em?" The Latina inquires further.

"Like if I'm gonna get married soon, what will it look like… who will be there?" She shakes her head trying to get out of the zone of serious adult talk.

"Hmmm." Santana nods, now she is the one thinking. "Well I am going to R.S.V.P. Britt's and I right now. We will be there." She places a friendly hand onto the blonde's forearm.

"What if I don't get married?"

"Psh, please. You, Quinn Fabray are one of those people destined to walk down the aisle with a pretty white dress." Santana flicks her friend's ear. "Me on the other hand, well, let's just say I don't think whites my color." She takes a long gulp of her beer.

"You don't want to get married?" Quinn asks suddenly feeling the emotional part of her drunken state coming on rapidly. "Why not?" She chokes.

"I want to get married you fool." The dark haired girl reaches into the bag and pulls out the Funions. "I was just… I dunno, talking. Out of my ass apparently."

"You want to marry her don't you?" Quinn quietly questions her and Santana's jaw, which had been chewing the Funion stops and she swallows hard.

"Yes." She looks over at her friend whose eyes are glistening with beer tears. "I want to marry her. If I could I'd marry her right now." She says quietly, watching herself wipe her hand onto her jeans to rid it of crumbs.

"That's romantic." Quinn breathes out, a stupid drunken smile taking over her features.

"I know." Santana smiles proudly and holding her bottle up to 'cheers' with her friends. "To Brittany, the love of my life and my future wife." They clink their bottles and Quinn snorts, her eyes closing as a fit of laughter is about to take her over. "Hey that rhymed."

"I know." The blonde heaves out and starts pointing to herself. "I was just thinking that." Santana's head flies back, hitting it on the bench as she laughs along with Quinn.

"Fuckin, that hurt." Quinn is too busy finding her friend's sudden pain funny that when she leans over to catch her breath she moves forward too much and falls off the bench. The people walking by simply stare at the two girls before continuing on their way.

A few hours later the girl's are standing on a corner trying they best to wave down a taxi. It hadn't occurred to them that a forty ounce beer each would completely take away their motor skills and there was no way walking back to the apartment was going to happen. So after several failed attempts, a taxi finally pulled up and Santana pushes Quinn in forcefully stuttering and slurring her address to the driver.

"I love Brittany." Santana hiccups as she leans her head on Quinn's shoulder.

"I know." The blonde replies. "She's pretty." Her words slur just as Santana's had when they had first gotten in to the taxi.

"She's bea-bu-beautiful." She stammers. "I love those kinds of things." Quinn hums a response that falls short of being any kind of word. "You know what? You know what I'm gon do? I'm gon fuck my sexy girlfriend when we get back." Quinn giggles at her friends blunt charm. "Fuck." She half breathes half hiccups as she pulls her hone out of her pocket, presses a button and brings it to her ear.

"Who are you calling?" Quinn whispers with interest, tapping Santana on the shoulder to get her attention.

"My goddess." Santana tells her factually, quirking an eyebrow. She smirks which informs Quinn that Brittany has answered. "Hola mamasita." The Latina greets in a low, sultry voice that seems to mask her intoxication.

"Hey baby." Brittany replies, grinning into the phone. "How's the night out with Q?" She asks raising the remote to the television to mute it.

"Good." Santana says quickly, nodding even though her blonde can't see her. "We're on our way home." She tells her. "What are you wearing?"


	6. Chapter 6

**_okay, so things are starting to pick up my friends. i present to you chapter 6. thanks for all the reviews you throwing my way i heart you all:)_**

**_read and review:)_**

* * *

><p>Rachel is gathering her books, tossing them into her messenger bag without a care. It's Friday, so the weekend is now officially on. She should have taken Kurt's advice when she was making her schedule. He had suggested that she not take a Friday class stating no one did that because they would just cram all of their required credits in their Monday to Thursday schedule. He tried to explain to her that she would most likely be one out of twenty students, if even, who had no life in that Friday class.<p>

But clearly being Rachel Berry, an over achiever, she pushed his advice to the side and made her own decisions. Decisions she is currently regretting considering how desolate the school is, except for those other sad students who signed up for a Friday afternoon class. The double doors ahead of her allow her to finally relax, her freedom only being a few feet away.

"Rachel?" A voice from behind startles her, there weren't many people she spoke to in her Friday lecture yet, the voice sounded gravely familiar.

* * *

><p>"So, it says here that you were in the top of your graduating class at McKinley High School." John Patrick is the Dean at NYU, it's his first year so he's pretty young but Santana knows that does not mean she can walk all over his inexperience. This shit is still college. He glances up from the files on his desk in time to see her nod.<p>

"Yes." She verbally responds.

She is trying her hardest to keep that cool and confident smile but, truth is she's nervous as hell. Getting a meeting with the Dean at NYU is not as hard as she thought it was going to be. Plus, considering her academic standings in high school, they were more than happy to make an appointment with her.

"I'm just curious, why is it that you didn't apply here to begin with?" He asks, removing his glasses from his face and setting them down beside a stack of papers and clasps his hands in front of him. Her eyes flicker from him to other things in his office, hoping words will find their way out of her mouth.

"I..uh…" She struggles with her apparent loss of speech, she's usually good under pressure and this moment is not proving that fact. With a deep breath she wipes her palms on her jeans, suddenly moist from the 'interrogation'. "Well, the thin is… I'm just gonna lay it out." She offers in a truthful tone and he nods, comfortably leaning back in his chair. "I'm from the middle of nowhere and always dreamed of getting as far away from there as possible. Incidentally the place, school, was not where my heart was." She looks him right in the eye and inches forward in her chair. "It's here in New York and, it's sitting right outside of this room." She points to the closed door of his office to the beyond where his secretary is sitting with Brittany. "I really want to go here sir. I'm a good worker, I'm really good with my studies and I want to start as soon as possible." She blurts the last part out quickly and nervously. He grunts and nods once, ruffling the papers in front of him.

* * *

><p>"Jessie." Rachel breathes out and the tinge of venom on her lips does not go over the young man's head but, it also does not stop him from smirking and moving towards the brunette.<p>

"I thought it was you." He grins in that school boy way he did that first time they met. He finally reaches the spot in front of her, inspecting her in a way. "So you go to Julliard." He says rather than asks and she can hear some kind of condescending tone in his voice and is pretty much waiting for him to compare her choice of higher education to a more prestigious school elsewhere.

"As a matter of fact, I do go here." She tells him proudly, straightening her posture and fiddling with the strap of her bag over her chest.

"I'm not at all surprised." He chuckles out. "I always thought your talent was exceptional." Her head jerks back and tilts, confusion setting in rapidly.

The last interaction the two of them had was not one she cared to hold close to her. It was hard to forget though, that was fact. He had broken her heart as well as humiliated her, yet there was something still strangely fascinating about him. She was sure it probably had something to do with the fact that he had no problem complimenting her obvious talent so she ate it up and took it at face value.

"Though I would love to stand here and hash out our sordid past, I really have to be going." She smiles politely and tries to turn back around towards those double doors that are calling her name but he reaches a hand out grabbing her by the elbow.

"Wait." He calls out, louder than necessary but then again they were always very dramatic people. She lets him turn her back around and she tries her best to stand her ground and flip him the bird, from the inside anyway. "I'm in town for a week and a half, just got in yesterday." He explains as he pulls out his cell phone from his pocket. "I'm not going to pretend that we ended on the best of terms but, I still care about you regardless of what you may think." His lips twist up half way, she thinks it's a smile but with Jessie she can never tell when he is just acting the part. "I'd love to hear about your life in New York, how the rest of McKinley went and what not." He pulls a pen out of his pocket and grabs her hand, scribbling something on her palm. "I'm free for the next couple of days, then working and then leaving. If you feel like you can give me a chance, give me a call."

She watches him smile, sparkling his white teeth at her and turn on his heels and then she watches him walk away. He always had a way about his entrance and exit, he was clearly a master on the stage no questions asked. Once he fades down the dark hallway of her school she looks down at her hand where the ten digits are staring back at her and she wants to wipe them off.

* * *

><p>The door to the office opens catching Brittany's attention immediately. She doesn't really have to ask any questions or worry much because everything is written all over her girlfriend's face. The blonde jumps up from her seat and runs into Santana's arms.<p>

"What happened?" She asks. "Is it good?" She already knows the answer but she wants the details. "You're smiling, tell me." She demands and Santana laughs at her girlfriend's eagerness and taking in the sweet little kisses she's placing on her cheeks.

"I'm in." She cheers getting a squeal from the blonde dancer. "I start in the spring." She explains.

"I got so nervous when they changed your meeting from Monday to Friday." Brittany admits, pulling Santana into a hug as they head out of the office.

"I know, me too." The Latina sighs at that horrible worry she had in the pit of her stomach the entire week, but now she was on cloud nine.

"We have to celebrate." Brittany says, tugging on Santana's arm as they walk down the hallway of the NYU building.

It's a little late in the afternoon by the time they get home because Brittany demanded they go out and buy Santana something for being such a good student. Of course the Latina, now more aware of money and expenses, settled for a pair of really cheap sunglasses from a small boutique a few blocks from their apartment.

When they do return they find Rachel sitting in a ball in the corner of the couch, the phone pretty much glued to her ear. She waves to them when they enter, jumping up in her spot on the couch seeming excited.

"Quinn hold on a sec, they _just_ got in." Rachel smiles and oddly enough holds her finger up to the phone even though the blonde cannot see her. "I don't know let me ask. You know Santana, her face is unreadable. It's scowl or scowl." Santana makes a face and gives Rachel the finger. "Yeah hold on." She moves the mouth piece from her face and looks up to the couple. "First, rude." Commenting about the finger gesture. "Second, what happened?" Her facial expression changing in nanoseconds.

Santana and Brittany share a look, both shy smiles and then the blonde runs to the couch jumping on it landing right in front of the diva.

"She got in!" She announces, so loud that Quinn can be heard on the other line cheering along with them. "Now hurry up Rach, we're going to Mick's." She slaps the brunette on the thigh as she pushes herself up and grabs Santana running to their bedroom. Quinn's laughter is still heard clearly on the other end when Rachel pulls the phone closer.

"I guess Mick's is the new hot spot huh?" Quinn asks her girlfriend. Mick's happens to be the place they had gone to when the blonde visited. It was the best place to go for college kids because they never carded and the cops never raided the place because the owners controlled it perfectly. There were never problems at Mick's.

"Yeah, it's Santana's home away from home." Rachel jokes.

"So how was school today, loser who takes class on Friday?" The blonde mocks her girlfriend playfully.

"Funny Q, funny." The brunette feigns sadness and hurt but the smile on her face would say differently. "It was," She pauses, lifting up her hand, the ink no longer staining it. "It was boring as anything." She sighs and deep down she wonders if seeing Jessie is something she should tell Quinn. Sure she should, but now? She just doesn't see the point, nothing good will come of it. All it will do is piss Quinn off or something worse.

"Well at least now you know for next semester not to take a class on Friday." The blonde offers easily enough and the brunette nods in agreement.

"Yeah, definitely not gonna happen again."

"Alright, I have to go. Kurt's coming in like fifteen minutes and I have not even started on my hair." Quinn breathes out. "But you guys have fun, buy Santana a celebratory shot for me."

"I will."

"Love you." Quinn sends a kissy sound through the telephone waves.

"I love you too Quinn. I miss you." Rachel grins, closing her eyes as though picturing her girlfriend.

"Miss you sweetie."

* * *

><p>Santana and Rachel sit quietly at their table at Mick's while Brittany is at the bar getting them some drinks. The music isn't as loud as it normally is which is good for conversations so Rachel goes in to start one.<p>

"So you must be very excited to start school." She points out. Santana wants to smile but there is something nagging in the back of her mind that stops her face from being able to form one. So she opts for a simple nod and glances over Rachel's shoulder to find Brittany who is still waiting for their drinks. "Brittany was telling me that she thinks you should be a teacher. Have you thought about that?" She leans over trying to catch the Latina's attention again, and she does, dark brown eyes find her.

"Listen Little Miss Sunshine," She crosses her arms. "I find it interesting and slightly irritating that you suddenly think I'm smart because I'm going to NYU. I mean seriously, newsflash Berry I originally got in to Berkley." She flails her arms in frustration letting them crash down onto the table, startling the girl across from her. "I'm smart as fuck. Know that." She jerks her head and flips her hair. Rachel's eyes trace over her friend's features, trying her best to decipher the sudden outburst.

"I'm sorry Santana but I really have no idea what you're talking about." She admits carefully retaining the Latina's gaze.

"When Quinn was here and your stupid English paper." Santana spits out in no direct or complete sentence. When she notices that Rachel has no idea or understanding she sighs and leans onto the table. "Look, okay, this right here is me sharing feelings." She says quietly, only loud enough for the two of them to hear. "You hurt my feelings Berry. You pretty much said I was dumb cause I wasn't in college." She looks down at her hands on the table, suddenly self conscious about sharing her inner feelings. "I know it's dumb but it pissed me off. I could have totally helped you with your shit, I've read more books than most of our teachers in McKinley." She rolls her eyes at the admission. "But you brushed me off and," She shrugs her shoulders, finally looking up at Rachel. "It hurt my feelings."

Rachel's mouth is slightly open, her eyebrows raise a little and she leans back ever so much. Instinctively she reaches a hand out to grab Santana's, surprised when the Latina does not pull away.

"Santana, I am so sorry." The diva apologizes whole heartedly. "I had no idea and I want to affirm that I had no intentions of having you take anything that I said that way. I actually don't think you're stupid or dumb. You're really smart, I mean, hello you graduated in the top of our class." Rachel reminds her that she knows these things. "I was just, stressed. I had Quinn visiting and then got that tossed on me and I can't lose my scholarship." She can sense that Santana is still slightly bothered. "But I mean, you have helped Brittany get pretty much straight A's since kindergarten so you should have been the first person I went to." She gets the other girl to smirk a little. "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings." She squeezes Santana's hand briefly.

"It's okay." Santana smiles and it grows as she follows something over Rachel's shoulder.

"Who wants shots?" Brittany yells and Santana cheers along with a few guys a couple of tables over.

They cheers to Santana getting into NYU, several times. Many shots later the girls find themselves stumbling back to their apartment building laughing, gossiping and hanging all over each other. The tension between Rachel and Santana subsided after their talk and the alcohol definitely helped, as well as the reason they were out celebrating.

"We should do this every night." Santana howls to be heard over her girlfriends giggling.

"Santana, being drunk every night is not very productive." Rachel hiccups as she does her best to avoid a sewer grate on the sidewalk. "But it is fun." She smiles at her friends who agree.

"We should do something crazy before we go home." Brittany says, sounding like she has a plan.

"Britts the last time you said something like that I woke up with a tutu on and pink glitter everywhere." Santana points out, clutching onto the blonde's arm for stability.

"I'm not even going to ask about that." Rachel shakes her head, being able to imagine what kind of twisted night the two had gotten into for a tutu and glitter to be involved.

"I'm pretty sure we were at a strip club." Brittany muses, the memory coming back to her in pieces.

"We were most definitely at a strip club." Santana nods furiously garnering giggles from the other two girls.

"Hey look." Brittany stops them in front of a brightly lit shop and points up to the sign. She closes one of her eyes, which tells Santana just how intoxicated her girlfriend is and she looks up to read the sign herself.

"Tattoos?" Rachel screeches. "Absolutely not. If I mark myself with ink I cannot have a proper Jewish burial."

"You are so boring Berry." Santana leans across her girlfriend and playfully shoves the smaller girl.

"Hey no fighting." Brittany steps up and stretches her arms to hold the two further away from one another.

"You'd really have something permanently put on your body?" The diva questions.

"Way to be a buzz kill Tiny Tim." Santana huffs and rolls her eyes. "Come on let's go back home and have a dance party." Brittany yells something that sounds like cheer of some sorts and grabs the two dark haired girls by their hands and begins to lead the way back home once again.

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><p>The apartment phone ringing sounds like a jackhammer. Rachel's head jerks up at the noise and she instantly regrets the motion, wishing she would have slowly lifted her head. She squints, her eyebrows scrunched together and her tongue moves against the roof of her mouth roughly. Closing her eyes she prepares herself for her next move, turning over.<p>

"Ugh." She grunts as she turns over onto her back, the feeling of something on her face prompts her to open her eyes. Slowly, she peels off a piece of paper from what appears to be a magazine. "What the…?" She holds it up in front of her face, but it's too hard to read so she simply tosses it to the side.

Placing both hands to her side she carefully begins to sit herself up only to realize that she had slept on the coffee table in their living room. The television is on but the screen is blue, she can only assume they had put in a movie and it had run its course. There are several bottles of beer on the ground around where she is and an empty bottle of liquor lying on the couch propped up on a pillow like it had been sleeping as well.

The phone ringing has stopped, which is definitely a good thing.

Finally after a few tries, Rachel gets herself off of the coffee table and onto stable ground. Well, semi stable seeing as her legs don't seem to be working properly but she somehow manages to make it to the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator is quite the exercise when hung over it seems and it takes a couple of tugs until she can actually get it open to grab a bottle of water.

She pretty much stumbles backwards into the chair at the kitchen table, twisting the cap open as quickly as she can and brings it to her lips. She wants to chug but her body is telling her if she does she will most definitely be seeing the contents of her stomach soon. After a few small sips her ears perk up to the sound of heavy footsteps shuffling across the wood floor of the hallway.

"Hmph." Comes a raspy voice from around the corner. Rachel looks up to see Santana, her hair looking like something out of National Geographic's and her outfit looking as though she were ready to walk down the runway for a Victoria's Secret fashion show. "Hey." She greets with a slight nod and Rachel can tell by the movement that it hurt the Latina to even say hello.

Santana does the same as Rachel, fights with the refrigerator door and grabs a bottle of water then stumbling into a chair across from the brunette. She watches her friend sip her water, prompting her to do the same at a cautious pace.

Another sound of feet hitting wood comes towards them in the kitchen and it's of no surprise when Brittany enters seconds later. Her hair is in a messy bun that has seemingly stayed nicely intact considering the night the three of them apparently had and for some reason or another Brittany is wearing her bathing suit. But Santana and Rachel are in too much pain to speak let alone think and try to come up with a reason as to why Brittany is wearing a bikini.

Brittany stops in front of the table, standing beside the refrigerator and stares down at the table where the other girls are sitting. She raises her hands, which looks as though she is going to say something so Rachel turns in her chair to face her more, even though it's rather painful to move like that.

"I woke up in the bathtub." Brittany tells them, her throat scratchy from the alcohol, most likely the screaming over music and from just waking up. Rachel and Santana quirk their eyebrows, glance at each other and then nod. That's why Brittany is in a bathing suit.

"I woke up on the coffee table." Rachel interjects, pointing over her shoulder to the object she is referring to. Brittany looks over and Santana looks over Rachel to stare at the coffee table, and then they all nod in understanding. After a few moments Rachel and Brittany turn to look at Santana, obviously waiting for her response.

"I woke up in your closet." She admits pointing to Rachel who shrugs at the information.

The phone rings causing all three girls to jump and reach for their heads as though simply touching it will rid the pain they are feeling from the shrill of a ringing phone. Brittany turns around to grab the phone from the wall.

"Hi." She greets tiredly. The other two watch her too hung over to really care. "Yeah hold on." Brittany moves closer to Rachel and hands her the phone. "It's Quinn."

"Hey." Rachel's voice is hoarse and she groans when Quinn speaks. "Ugh, I am never drinking again."

It was around 7:30pm that the nausea and chills of horrible after alcohol affects finally began to fade. Luckily Santana had traded shifts with someone at work so she didn't have to worry about working with a massive headache. So for the rest of the evening the trio sat in front of the television in silence.

* * *

><p>Brittany has to study for a Biology test so Sunday night she decided to stay in while a few friends from work had offered to take Santana out to celebrate. At first Santana had wanted to decline because she really wanted her girlfriend to come, but Brittany insisted that she go out and make friends with her co-workers, really get to know them and give them a chance.<p>

Rachel had to decline from the offer to join seeing as she had a test to study for as well and was planning on utilizing the library until it closes. Seeing as it's a Sunday, Brittany is not at all surprised to get a call from Santana at 9:30pm to come get her because she is already drunk.

With a smirk and playful roll of the eyes, Brittany grabs her girlfriend's Cheerio jacket and heads out to pick Santana up from Mick's. It's still relatively early for a Sunday so there are still people on the streets moving from place to place.

She reaches the last corner that she has to cross when she just happens to look to her right. On the corner the other direction is a small coffee shop and walking in that coffee shop is Rachel. Brittany grins and goes to walk across the street in hopes of intercepting Rachel and maybe she'd pass up on coffee and just come home for some. But as she is about to step up onto the curb she watches Rachel walk through the little place and stop in front of a table.

The brunette looks unsure, but she still smiles and Brittany's eyes look to the sitting figure at the table. Her eyebrows scrunch in the middle and her lips part slightly pushing out some air in surprise. Rachel is having coffee with Jessie and they are both smiling.

Unsure of what to do Brittany practically stumbles away from the small coffee shop and runs across the street, getting to the other side safely. She wonders if they just happen to run into each other or they made plans. But if they made plans why didn't Rachel say anything. Then she wonders if Quinn knows.

By the time she gets to the front of Mick's she's already thought of so many different scenarios her head is spinning. All she can really do is hope that it is not what it looks like, that perhaps what she saw is nothing. The other only thing she can do is keep quiet, even though all she wants to do is tell Santana. But telling Santana right now, in this drunken state that she's in would not be the best idea.

It takes a little while, what with her mind kind of elsewhere and Santana leading her in so many different directions but they finally get back home. Santana immediately removes most of her clothes as soon as she steps into the apartment and flops onto the couch and Brittany knows what's coming. The blonde runs to the bathroom and then the kitchen for the essentials.

It's 1:35am by the time Rachel gets home. She aims to be quiet but when she walks in she realizes that is probably not necessary because the couple is on the couch. She closes the door behind her before looking back to the couch to find Santana lying down and Brittany crouched beside her head holding the garbage can from the bathroom up to her face.

"Shh baby it's okay." Brittany coos, brushing some hair from Santana's face that has been sticking to her skin from the sweat. She looks up from her girlfriend to make brief eye contact with Rachel.

"What happened?" The brunette asks quietly, removing her jacket and moving to hang it on the hook. Brittany stops rubbing circles on Santana's back, sits up straight and stares at Rachel long and hard before bringing her attention back to the very drunk and sick Latina.

"Tequila." She says softly.


	7. Chapter 7

**_i know we all have so many _**_feelings **tonight. (so many) but whatever. lets stay positive and all that jazz because honestly, show wise, i'd say things are lookin up.**_

_**but now back to this story. many things going on in this chapter (literally almost typed episode) anyways... hope you guys like it. so read and let me know your thoughts and your secret pain.:) love your guts.**_

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><p>Santana lays awake in bed, her head propped up in her hand as she leans her elbow on her pillow. She's usually not up this early but she had to pee, rather inconvenient she had thought, especially since she had to sprint to the bathroom seeing as she was still very much naked and too very lazy to slip some clothes on. What she came back to find is what had prompted her to stay awake.<p>

The curtains to their bedroom were haphazardly closed the night before and a streak of the morning sun came shining through landing perfectly onto Brittany's bare back. For a few minutes she sat on her side of the bed and simply watched as the sun danced on her girlfriend's light skin. She wanted to kiss the illuminated skin but was too desperate to continue staring to stir the other girl from her sleep.

Now with head in hand, she trails her index finger lightly up and then down Brittany's back, a small smile playing at her lips. Blonde hair splayed across the pillow only adding to the scene of incredible beauty at its best. She lets her finger trace around her girlfriend's shoulders then down to the middle, letting it graze down to the sides of her torso until finally drawing lazy patterns at the small of her back.

She imagines her life like this, the rest of her life and it soothes her, calms her. Deep down she knows she won't have to imagine forever because one day whether it be soon or later this will be her forever because it already is. Being so wrapped up in her early morning day dreams she had been unaware of her body taking control of itself and finds her lips brushing gently onto the skin beneath her fingertips.

Santana doesn't stop and instead continues to trail soft, lingering kisses to as much of the blonde's naked back as possible. Because now, with all of her hopes and dreams rushing inside of her mind and heart Brittany waking up would be a complete bonus. She grins to herself when she hears a muffled hum come from the girl beside her and tilts her head to the side to watch as Brittany slowly turns to face the cause of her slumber being disturbed.

Her eyes blink open ever so carefully and she tucks one hand just underneath her chin, and then she smiles. Santana smiles back softly and scrunches her nose in that way that Brittany says resembles a cute, fluffy bunny. They both let their eyes linger over exposed skin, as though remembering the events of the night prior and then meet each other's stare again.

"What time is it?" Brittany asks in an almost whisper. Santana smirks before leaning down and placing her lips to the blonde's nose quickly, bringing her hand up to tuck some hair behind her girlfriend's ear.

"Go back to sleep." She suggest in a gentle voice. "It's still early." Brittany looks at her in that way that Santana knows she is contemplating the going to back to sleep part but knows that the result is going to be anything but.

"Come here." Brittany mumbles, waving the hand that was tucked under her chin as directions to where to go.

Santana does as she is told, as she usually does when it comes to the blonde. So she slides her face off of the palm of her hand and shuffles closer to Brittany, letting her head come to rest so that they are on the same pillow and looking into one another's eyes. The taller girl lifts her hand to let it come and fall onto the Latina's cheek, caressing the skin there with her thumb. She's not sure if Brittany wants to say something or if she just wants to lay here but either way she is okay with this. Santana reaches up to wrap her fingers around Brittany's wrist, holding it in place and turning her head to place a kiss to the palm of her hand.

"I love you." Brittany breathes out and her eyes flutter at the feeling of Santana's lips on her skin. She can feel the dark haired girl smirk into her hand as she kisses that spot again.

"And I love you." Santana replies, letting her face turn back to lie onto the pillow and smiles brightly at the girl in front of her.

She unhooks her fingers from around Brittany's wrist and slides her hand up the blonde's arm, ever so lightly leaving goose bumps in her wake. Her hand comes to rest on Brittany's cheek and she leans forward bringing their lips together. Brittany reaches down to move the sheet that has been separating their lower halves and once she feels her feet become untangled she slips a leg forward and in between Santana's.

The blonde grins into the kiss when she feels her girlfriend's hips move slightly towards her and a small grunt tumble from her mouth. With some quick thinking, as quick as she can possibly be this early, Brittany turns their bodies so that Santana's back is on the bed and she is on top of her. A pair of hands interlace to the side of their heads, gripping fiercely together as though that one thing can bring their bodies that much closer.

Santana's free hand slides up and down Brittany's side, her hips moving up for some sort of friction she wasn't aware her body was prepared for or even needed at 6:30 in the morning. Brittany, with one leg still between Santana's has other plans and with one more drawn out kiss she pulls away and sits up, straddling one of Santana's legs.

When the Latina whimpers at the sudden distance between their lips, the blonde doesn't smirk in that teasing fashion she normally would, no, there's a different feeling, emotion behind that small smile. Not really different or new even, but more powerful than she can remember ever really feeling. Their hands that are still connected squeeze tightly and Santana rubs her thumb along the back of her girlfriend's hand.

"What's wrong?" Santana asks, a hint of concern, frustration and arousal behind her tone. Brittany visibly swallows hard and moves her hips slightly into the girl beneath her. With her free hand, she brings it to her own neck, her index finger slowly making a trail of non-existent fire down the front of her body. Santana watches carefully.

"I want to be inside of you." Brittany tells her, her voice husky and emanating sexual desire, need and confidence. Santana gulps, her eyes flitting from that finger and blue eyes so quickly it's almost making her dizzy, but she nods nonetheless. "Not just a part of me." The blonde continues and Santana can't help but notice the direction that her girlfriend's hand is going and she can't fight the whimper that escapes her lips. Their eyes lock and in that moment Santana understands, her head continuing to bob up and down in anticipation. "I want all of me inside of you." Santana's lips part taking in a sharp gasp of air as she watches Brittany's fingers disappear into herself.

The blonde shudders at the feeling of her own fingers, squeezing her legs together briefly, slightly high from the concept of Santana watching her touch herself and the reasoning as to why.

"_Ugh_." Pops out of the Latina's mouth, its low but high pitched, like she was trying to keep it in. She licks her lips, her eyes moving from Brittany's fingers to the way her face shifts from pleasure to uncontrollable lust.

After a few moments her hips slow down, coming to a stop and she removes her fingers reluctantly from herself she lowers the front of her body to hover over Santana's. Their eyes remain locked, both simply waiting. With a deep breath Brittany slides her fingers into Santana, both gasping for air at the contact at the feeling of their bodies connecting on a new level, a different level, a more passionate and sexual level.

"_Oh._" Santana moans, her free hand coming up to get lost within a sea of blonde and Brittany presses small kisses to the corner of her lovers lips. "_Fuck. Me._" She shouts in a whisper, her head turning into the pillow trying desperately to muffle the sounds of cries she knows are on the verge of coming out. But, the both of them know that's of no use and they welcome it with open arms.

Their fingers unlock, Santana using both hands to pull Brittany's body directly on top of her own, while the blonde's now free hand grips her girlfriend's shoulder. Bare breasts rub against each other easily through the sheen layer of sweat glistening from their bodies. Soft and hard kisses are placed to lips, necks and any other piece of skin available. Fingers pump in and out faster causing hips to rise and fall at a frantic pace.

"Brittany." Santana says in her ear, her breath so heavy and sounding hard to catch, much like her own. She pulls back, resting her forehead to the Latina's. Santana swallows roughly again, her throat dry from her mouth hanging open and gasping for air. "Put me in you." She pleads. Not being in such a position, Santana might feel awkward and bashful at such a request but not in this moment. In this moment she wants to know, she wants to see that she's inside of Brittany as much as Brittany is inside of her. The blonde nods, leaning down to quickly and almost misplacing a kiss to her lover. "Touch yourself." She would feel dirty saying this but she doesn't, in fact, saying this turns her on even more probably because she knows that it has without a doubt turned Brittany on more.

"_Ugh_." Brittany lets out at her girlfriend's request, turning her head to the side while she works out her arousal causing her cheek to rest on Santana's forehead for a moment.

Her body lifts from Santana's a little bringing both of their attention to the hand belonging to the blonde between them. They carefully watch as Brittany slips her fingers from Santana, to which the Latina sucks in air sharply at the loss of contact, and then stare on when Brittany slides those wet fingers into herself once again.

"_Oh… oh._" Santana groans, her hips moving up at the sight of her girlfriend touching herself again especially knowing some of her is on those fingers.

"_Hmmph_." Brittany bites her lip as her fingers move in and out, her hips moving right along with the rhythm she is setting for herself.

Not being able take anymore of the sight before her, as well as the aching between her legs Santana sits up slightly and reaches for Brittany's wrist. The blonde's eyes snap open to find those brown ones and lets Santana's other hand come up to her neck and draw her back down on top of her.

"Let me." Santana coos into her ear and Brittany allows her fingers to be replaced by Santana's.

"_Oh. _Santana!" Brittany yells burying her face into the crook of Santana's neck, taking in a mouthful of hair as her panting increases. "_My… god._" It comes out like a scream but from the scratchy sound her voice makes one would think she were trying to whisper. Santana snakes her free hand up between them to grab one of Brittany's hands from her shoulder and leads her back to where she was before, inside of her.

"Together?" Santana asks, begs, demands. Without a verbal response or a nod of the head Brittany lifts her head and locks eyes as she slides her fingers back into her girlfriend garnering a moan from the both of them. "_Ungg!_" The Latina's eyes shut tight, her mouth taking turns hanging open and clenching her jaw shut tight. "Don't stop. _Don't… stop_." A few more quick and hard pumps Brittany slips her fingers out and begins to rub tight circles in that certain spot and Santana's body reacts quickly. "Right… _there_. Keep going." Following in the blonde's steps Santana decides to use the same moves, thrusting into Brittany a few more times before moving her fingers to those nerves that cause mayhem throughout the blonde's body whenever stimulated.

"_Uhh, Santana!_" Brittany calls out, throwing her head back in ecstasy and slamming her hand against their headboard which is allowing her the ability to move her hips better.

"Jesus, _fucking, _Christ." The smaller girl whimpers through heavy panting, leaning up to nip at the bottom lip of the girl above her. Cold, dry lips come together, tongues licking for more contact and moans being swallowed by the other.

Santana is the first to come, her legs shaking as she desperately tries to hold herself up to get as close to Brittany's magnificent fingers as possible. Her mind goes completely blank for a moment and she forces herself to blink hard to regain conscious-consciousness, and when she opens she's stars and Brittany. But her haze isn't over.

Brittany is still touching her and she is still touching Brittany. She continues to move her fingers in quick succession; by the sounds coming from the back of the blonde's throat she was ready to combust. When she finally does Santana is in near shock. Brittany's hand flies away from where she had continued rubbing Santana, flying to the other girl's wrist to still her hand. Yet, her hips remained moving, as if on their own accord, into Santana's hand. With a few rough and short thrusts of her hips Santana felt everything flow through the blonde's body.

Her eyes closed, her head flew back again and a loud, guttural moan in the form of Santana's name on her lips echoes throughout the entire bedroom. When her body finishes squirming and shaking she opens her eyes to find Santana looking back up at her. They stare at one another for a few solid seconds, soft smiles covering their parted lips as they desperately try to regain their breath, but that's not what they are focusing on.

What they are focusing on is this moment and everything that has led up to this moment. Santana reaches up, letting her fingers hook some blonde hair, moving it from Brittany's face and let's here hand linger behind her ear where she tucks it. Brittany, looking down at Santana moves her hand up to wipe away the hairs that have decided to stick to her girlfriend's forehead, her finger sliding smoothly over the sweat.

"Wow." Santana puffs out like a sigh and giggle mixed together. Brittany makes the same noise, nodding her head in agreement to the other girl's statement. "I've…" She begins but, pauses for a moment making sure to give each one of those beautiful blue eyes her undivided attention and Brittany looks on patiently. "Never felt this close to anyone in my entire life." Her own eyes soften under the blonde's gaze, her head tilts to the side as both of them really take in the meaning of not only the words but their actions this morning. "I love you." Her thumb caresses Brittany's cheek. "And don't you ever, _ever_ forget that Brittany."

"I know." She responds, bringing her hand from Santana's cheek to the one cupping her own turning her head to kiss her girlfriend's palm like hers was earlier. She leans down as Santana leans up and their lips meet for a short, sweet kiss before Brittany lets her body fall down onto the body below hers.

They both close their eyes, contentment coursing through their bodies at the emotional and physical contact between them. Santana lets her fingers dance lazily over the moist skin of her girlfriend's back while Brittany twirls some of Santana's luscious locks between her fingers. Just as Brittany was getting used to the stillness in the room accompanied by Santana's evened out breathing she feels more than hears the girl below her let out a tiny chuckle.

She smirks to herself, only Santana could find something funny after an earth shattering moment such as this one. Curious, Brittany raises her head to look at the Latina, resting her chin on her hand that lay flat on the other girl's chest.

"What's so funny?" She asks watching Santana's eyes flutter open.

"You moaned so loud not only did you probably wake up Berry but I'd say the whole complex." Santana laughs out causing the blonde to blush heavily, her cheeks turning redder than they already had been from their activities. She playfully smacks Santana's arm. "Hey, I totally take full responsibility." She puts her hands up in defense.

"You _were_ to blame." Brittany agrees, her head shaking at the fact that she _had_ been really loud but, she was in the moment and that moment called for some screaming and some moaning. She smiles to herself though, she doesn't care about it and she knows Santana doesn't either. It doesn't make them uncomfortable if people hear them having sex, 'whatever' is _their_ motto on the subject. "Now come on," She taps her hand against Santana's chest. "Let's get some more sleep."

* * *

><p>Rachel is sitting at the kitchen table with textbooks sprawled in front of her and a giant mug of coffee in hand. She yawns as she turns a page and highlights a few words that look important. Her attention is stolen by the creaking sound of a bedroom door and bare feet pattering on the wooden floor of their hallway. With bleary eyes she looks up to spot her roommates turning the corner and enter the kitchen, smiles and goofy looks, eyes glazed over from countless hours of a sex filled night <em>and<em> morning.

She watches them in utter annoyance and slight envy as Brittany holds loosely onto Santana's wife tight wife beater, leading the way towards the counter where the coffee pot is located. The blonde places herself right behind her girlfriend, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl's waist and resting her head on the back of her shoulder while Santana pours two cups of coffee. The Latina takes a sip from hers first, her free hand coming down to land on one of the blonde's, her thumb brushing against the skin there lovingly.

"Good night?" Rachel asks with an eye roll, turning her focus back to her studies. Santana swallows the hot liquid too quickly needing to clear her throat before she turns around to respond. She turns, with Brittany still very much attached to her, her soft smile still in place.

"Sorry if we woke you up." She tells the brunette even though they all know she really isn't sorry. She wouldn't take back the early morning she and Brittany shared for anything.

"Woke me up?" Rachel jerks her head back around to eye the other girls. "You _kept_ me up all morning with your inability to calm you sexual urges." She spits back. Santana quirks an eyebrow shooting Brittany a curious glance to which the blonde shrugs and turns her head so her lips brush her girlfriend's bare shoulder.

"Umm, okay." She rolls her eyes and her soft features turn into that of her usual Lima Heights 'bitch face'. "What crawled up your ass and died?" She doesn't really care about Rachel's problems all she cares about is her nasty attitude this morning and the fact that she is being a bitch to them.

"I'm sorry that I was hoping for a good night's rest before a big test that I have today." She sarcastically shares, flipping through the pages of her textbook not even giving herself time to read anything.

"I'm sure you'll be fine Rachel. I mean, you've been at the _library_ all week." Brittany chimes in, her tone a distant from her usual cheery tone when in the middle of a Rachel/Santana dispute.

But the other two girls don't pick up on the real meaning Brittany had been hinting at. Since Sunday night all Brittany can think of when Rachel says 'library' is the coffee 'date' she had witnessed between her roommate and Jesse St. James.

"Regardless. It'd be nice if you two took into consideration that you do not live alone." She reminds them deciding this is not the best place for her to do her studying any long and starts to pack up her books and notes.

"Maybe that's the problem." Brittany fires back and this time both Santana and Rachel look at her in almost shock.

"Brittany." Santana says softly. The blonde looks from Rachel and lets her eyes fall on to her girlfriend who is giving her a concerned look. She shakes her head and lets out a shaky breath.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." She sighs out, her eyes downcast to the floor.

"It's okay." Rachel assures her with semi hesitation and some confusion, Brittany doesn't act like this. "I'm sorry too." She stands up with her text books and notebooks against her chest. "I have another test tomorrow so I'm probably going to be at the library all night again." She explains making her way out of the kitchen but before she leaves she turns around and smiles at the couple, sincerely. "Can you guys just try to at least keep it down." She smirks, nods her head once and turns on her heels and walks out of the apartment.

The couple stands in the kitchen, Brittany still with her arms around Santana's waist and coffee cup still in Santana's hand and they both stare strangely at the door. The Latina sighs and shakes her head turning her body in the blonde's arms to face her.

"Britt?" She cautiously says with questioning eyes. "What's going on, I've never seen you like that before. Except with me." She rolls her eyes at the admission; Brittany just looks away for a moment and loosens her hold on Santana.

"It's nothing I just… this morning was so incredibly amazing and…" She shrugs her shoulders, her fingers playing with the skin just under the hem of Santana's tank top. "She was ruining it." Santana lets out a small giggle, her eyes softening at her sad girlfriend and leans up to press a kiss to her forehead.

"Come on baby." Santana steps from Brittany's hold and throws her arm around her shoulder. "Let's watch some Bad Girls Club, that always makes us feel better."

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><p>Brittany had walked Santana to work at 1:00 and is currently en route to her 1:45 class, philosophy. The memories of her morning with Santana so clear in her mind she was sure that if her body didn't already know the exact way to school she would have gotten herself lost with the sex filled-Santana haze she is in. With a smile she was certain was going to remain permanently on her face she cruised the busy sidewalks of New York City, not even caring when someone bumps into her and doesn't apologize.<p>

That was one thing she can say she did not find endearing about the big apple compared to her hometown. Santana doesn't seem to care much, probably because she is more of a New Yorker at heart than most of the actual New Yorker's in this place, attitude wise. But, the thing that she loves about Lima is how small it is how kind the people are. If someone accidentally bumps into another person on the streets in Lima there is never a hesitation with an apology. Then again, Santana is from Lima Heights and that is on the _other_ side of town, so Brittany guesses it makes sense why her girlfriend mixes in with this type of city folk. Not to say that Santana doesn't have manners she does, and in fact she is really sweet and nice just not to strangers. Well, strangers and Rachel Berry of course.

And as if her thoughts came to life, someone bumps into her on cue only this time the person says 'I'm sorry'. Her head snaps up to shoot the person a thankful look, acknowledging them for their proper manners. And just as she does this movement something else catches her eye. On the corner across the street she catches a glimpse of two familiar figures.

Jesse and Rachel, again at that stupid coffee shop.

They are standing outside, coffee cups in hand and dumb smiles on their faces with subtle hints of laughter from something Jesse said. Brittany moves closer to the curb to get a clearer view of the interaction. He says something else and Rachel looks down at her cup looking, _bashful_, and then nods as she glances back up at him.

Brittany can feel her face screwing up as she continues to watch. Before at the apartment she had insinuated, more to herself than to her girlfriend and Rachel that 'library' meant something extremely different than the actual building that held books. She thought it but hoped it not to be true, that when Rachel said she was going to the library she was really going to meet up with Jesse. Had the blonde not seen them a few nights ago, she would have been none the wiser to Rachel's whereabouts.

She considers going over there, walking across the way and confronting Rachel about meeting up with Jesse. But what would that accomplish? The fact that she knew Rachel had ran into Jesse and they made plans to get together for coffee. She couldn't make any assumptions, but in all honesty she can't help it. It has crossed her mind however whether Quinn knew about these sudden and recent meetings between the two. They were exes after all and would most definitely fall under the category of 'something I should probably tell my girlfriend'.

She shakes her head and lets out a long, irritated sigh. This is none of her business, yet. For all she knows Jesse and Rachel are catching up to fix all the bad terms they had left on. For all she knows they are getting together to talk of things 'Wicked' and Barbra. She yanks her phone from her pocket to check the time and realizes that her leering is now going to make her late so with one last glance of the two still standing in front of the coffee shop she turns around and hauls ass in the direction of school. If anything, she can just confront Rachel at a later time. But for now, this is none of her concern.

* * *

><p>Jesse is in the middle of explaining his freshman spring semester to Rachel when he is interrupted by the sound of 'Walk Like an Egyptian' coming from her phone. He shoots her a questioning glare as well as one of disgusted amusement as she pulls it from her bag only making the music that much louder. She doesn't have to look at the caller ID to know who it is and she holds a finger up to Jesse and takes a few steps away.<p>

"Hey." She answers in that knowing voice.

"Hey." Quinn replies back with that wispy sound to her tone. "How was your test?" She asks quickly, the background noise on her side is that of people chatting in a courtyard or something.

"It went… well, I guess." Rachel lets out an annoyed huff and rolls her eyes, getting a small chuckle from the blonde on the other end. "Brittany and Santana woke me up at like 7:00 in the morning."

"Why? Are they okay?" She questions worried.

"Oh they're fine. I was awoken by the sound of Santana screaming 'Brittany' for a good twenty five minutes though. I'm sure they're feeling fantastic today." She explains, her girlfriend makes a sound of air being sucked in quickly.

"Oh, sorry babe that sucks." Quinn offers her apologies, she's been there.

"Yeah well, we both knew this is how it would be living with those nymphomaniacs." Quinn lets out a giggle once again and Rachel turns around and mouths 'sorry' to Jesse who says quietly, 'it's okay'.

"True, true. At least next year you can pay them back while I'm making you scream out my name." She tells the diva in a low throaty voice.

"Quinn." Rachel says in a chastising voice, her cheeks flush at the statement.

"Exactly, just like that only louder." Quinn clarifies with a laugh. "So, what are you doing now?" Rachel's head snaps up and looks over her shoulder back at Jesse who is fiddling with his phone.

"I, ummm…" She hesitates for a moment. "Actually you caught me right when I was going to study." She lets out sounding torn.

"Oh. I'm sorry hun." Quinn apologize making Rachel shut her eyes hard and she clenches her jaw at her little white lie. "I'll let you go then. Call me later. I love you." Rachel turns around and watches Jesse's thumbs move across his phone.

"I love you too." She says softly before sliding the phone from her ear and ending the call.

* * *

><p>After philosophy class Brittany races to the auditorium. The teacher's assistant in her modern dance class asked her to join in on a special group he is putting together. He explained that he was taking the most talented and promising students from each of his classes and organizing a dance troupe that he hoped to showcase at the schools banquet at the end of term. According to her TA she is one of the more promising freshmen he has seen in a while.<p>

Just like every day for the past two weeks she shows up early and begins her stretching on the floor. She reaches for her toes as far as her body allows her and let's herself relax. But after a while of these carefree movements she takes notice of her being the only one there. She looks around, there are no other bags or bottles of water off to the side and she hopes that she did not forget that class is canceled.

She gets up, ready to go check her planner for any possible reminders when Jason, her TA, walks in. He smiles at her and waves as he removes his duffle bag and places it on top of the piano in the corner from where he came from. She smiles politely back at him and waves as well before practicing some turns and steps to the beat in her mind.

"It's just you and me today." He announces, breaking her concentration and she stumbles slightly. "Whoa, sorry about that."

"It's okay." She blushes, embarrassed at the fact that this guy picked her as the only freshman for this troupe and she messes up a turn at just the sound of his voice. "I was in my own world." She admits. She was in her own world till his voice pulled her away from it. He smiles and nods in understanding.

"Completely okay Brittany." He assures her and moves to the piano where he has set up a small radio and presses play on the CD part of it. Some symphony or something with an orchestra starts to play. "I wanted to work with the students separately this week, you're the first I've gotten alone." He explains, his voice is low and he steps behind her but keeps some distance. "There are some things I need to go over with each student and instead of wasting everyone's time paying so much attention on one student I decided one on one's would be a better idea." She nods. It makes sense, she'd be kind of annoyed if she were standing around watching only one person get pointers. In a way the thought made her remember being in New Directions and Rachel always trying to get Mr. Schu's attentions.

"Okay." She breathes out as she lifts her arms above her head for her final stretch, and breathing in as she lowers them.

"So pretend I am your partner." Jason speaks just over the music and steps behind her placing his right hand onto her hip. "And just feel the music through me as I lead you." He begins to move thus causing her body to move with him. "Not like that's hard for you, it's like the music was born in you." She grins a little because that was something Santana had said to her once after a competition. Only his voice isn't as smooth as Santana's but she shrugs that part off.

He continues to lead her through his choreography and she is flawless. He comments here and there, more so he compliments than comments and she takes everything graciously and with a grain of salt being all too used to the 'compliments' Sue Sylvester used to dish out.

An hour and a half of dancing later and Jason cannot stop gushing over Brittany's technique. She remains modest, dabbing her forehead with her towel and taking small sips from her Cheerio's water bottle.

"You are absolutely radiant." He says shaking his head in amazement. Placing his own water bottle down he moves towards the young blonde standing directly in front of her. "If I can get this funded, like when we show the board our routine they will absolutely die." She tilts her head with a childlike smile playing on her lips and all she can really think is how funny his British accent is. "And honestly I think the only we are going to get funded is if you are front and center." That she hears loud and clear. Her eyes widen and her jaw hangs open.

"What?" She lets out in surprise.

"Brittany," He begins, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You move so… you're like water, you're fluidity is incredible. No matter the type of dance, the beat it's just, ugh it's incredible really." He pauses for a moment as though in thought. "Here, let's try the last thirty seconds of the song and if you nail it then the spot is yours, if not then I will agree to let you choose for yourself." He offers.

She bites her lip, she knows the center spots routine like no bodies business. Hell, she knows the guys parts in this routine like no bodies business, she can do this in her sleep. With a nod of her head she agrees to give this part a try. It's a little more touchy feely than the other spots in the dance but she can be a professional.

He smiles widely and starts the music a few seconds before and lets them set themselves up. Their bodies move perfectly across the floor together. He lifts and she is as light as a feather. He spins her and she remains relaxed but with perfect posture. When he twirls her in front of him for the last five seconds of the song he prepares her for the final stance. He rolls her body the right of his own and slowly brings her close to him, their faces inches apart, noses barely touching and breathing heavy.

They smile at one another, knowing they just nailed this part of the piece. He is still holding her in place and she stands perfectly still as though they are waiting for the audiences cheering to quiet down. Then, out of nowhere Jason's lips are on Brittany's. The blonde girl stumbles backwards, her hands up to his chest in an effort to either push him away or push herself away, whichever comes first.

"Brittany." He says, extending his hand out to her and with clearly no remorse for his actions in his voice. She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand.

"What the hell?" She shouts at him, her voice only heard to the two of them on the stage. He steps towards her and she takes two steps back.

"It felt right, in that moment. I know you felt it too, the way you were looking in my eyes." Jason explains staring at her like he knows her. She shakes her head, trying to piece together any kind of evidence that would point to her wanting him to kiss her.

"I don't know what you're talking about, we were just dancing. I was in the part." She defends looking around him as though if she looks directly at him she will once again send him the wrong message.

"It was more than being in the part, the part _is _you." Jason justifies chancing another step towards the weary blonde.

"No." She yells jostling him out of his younger blonde haze. "I didn't want you to kiss me, I don't want to kiss you." She says, irritation in her voice. "I…" Her eyes flicker from his figure and to the floor as she shifts from side to side. "I don't think it's a good idea that I be in your group anymore." It sucks, it hurts but there is no way she can subject herself to being in the same space as this guy now or in the future. Especially alone.

"You don't have to do that." His shoulders sink low and embarrassment is written all over his face.

"I'm sorry Jason, I really am and I do hope that this works out for you. But for me and with my best interest in mind I really don't think this is a good fit." She explains herself, pointing between herself and the guy in front of her. He nods, he understands and his head hangs as she brushes past him to grab her things and leave the auditorium as silent as when she arrived.

* * *

><p>Santana comes home to find Brittany sitting on the couch, her legs bouncing up and down with her feet on the coffee table. She throws her jacket to the side where it hits the coat rack and falls to the floor and hops over the back of the couch to take a seat beside her girlfriend.<p>

"Hey baby." She says leaning over to kiss Brittany on the cheek. When she pulls back she notices the blonde's legs still moving up and down. "What's wrong?"

"I have to tell you something." Brittany blurts out and turns quickly to face the dark haired girl, whose eyebrows have risen so high they are practically in her hairline.

"Okay." She drawls out shifting to face Brittany and tucks a leg underneath her. Brittany nods, takes in a deep breath and swallows. "Babe, what is it?" She nervously asks reaching out to calm the blonde a little. Brittany looks up from her girlfriend's hand on her leg, tiny unshed tears sparkling her eyes.

"I have to tell you something serious." She clarifies before proceeding with the actual information. Santana nods and patiently waits. "So you know how the TA for my modern dance class asked me to be a part of that dance troupe he was putting together?" Brittany asks, her head tilting to the side for a moment as she waits for a response. Santana's eyes flicker to the side as she takes Brittany's words and puts them into thoughts. She recalls this information so she looks back at the blonde and nods.

"So I've been going to the meetings or classes or whatever they are for almost three weeks now and so when I went today he said he was doing one on ones so I was the only one there." One of Santana's eyes squints slightly, her eyebrows furrow and her jaw tightens ever so at the words 'one and one' and 'I was the only one there'. Her mind clearly running on something red.

"Okay." Santana tries to say the word as calmly as possible but there's only so much self control one can have when having a million and one thoughts going through your head about your girlfriend and someone else, 'alone'. Especially when they say they have something to tell you. Brittany moves her head from side to side, something Santana knows she does when she is trying her best to pick the right words to use.

"Santana," She says and her voice sounds scared, her blue eyes digging into Santana's brown ones. "He kissed me."

"I'll kill him." Santana replies without a second passing between Brittany's words and her own. The blonde's eyebrows scrunch together in the middle. "What the fuck?" She yells turning away from Brittany to look at nothing particular. "Did he like…" She turns back to the blonde, shifting closer to her on the couch. "Brittany did he do anything else?" She asks worried, upset, pissed… really pissed. Brittany shakes her head 'no' and Santana nods. "Okay then, good."

"I told him I can't be in the group anymore. I mean, I just wouldn't feel comfortable." Brittany shares further the aftermath conversation post kiss with her TA.

"I'm so sorry Britt." Santana reaches out to rub her girlfriend's back.

"_You're_ sorry?" The blonde asks incredulously. "I'm the one who should be sorry." Her head falls and she catches her face in her hands. "I let someone else's lips touch mine." Santana lets out a small chuckle, but she's not smiling fully.

"Baby, you didn't let anyone do anything to you. That stupid ass just thought he could get his mack on with some unsuspecting student. That's pretty shitty on his part." Santana whispers into Brittany's ears, continuing to rub her back. "And you told me, which is the most important thing here." The blonde lifts her head, her eyes ready to let tears pour out and she searches Santana's eyes for some hidden hurt.

"You mean… you're not mad at me?" She asks kind of surprised.

"Of course not B, you didn't do anything wrong. You did everything right. Someone tried something, you stopped them, told them 'no' and like I said you came home and told me right away." She repeats shooting her girl a bigger smile to make her feel better.

"You seriously amaze me every day Santana Lopez." Brittany lets out, her head shaking in awe.

"Well, I guess I'm growing up." She grins and leans into press her lips to the girl in her arms.

"Mmm, now that's a kiss." The blonde sighs.

* * *

><p>Rachel is in the kitchen cooking some lunch for herself when Santana comes home from work. Just like every other time the Latina arrives after work she grumbles to herself, kicks her shoes off against the wall and rifles through the mail on the coffee table saying 'shit' over and over again. It's nothing new and something that Rachel has not only grown accustomed to but rather fond of and she smirks as she stirs her soup.<p>

"Hey mini-me." Santana greets as she enters the kitchen, her fingers moving down her work shirt as she unbuttons each button.

"Hello to you too Santana." The diva rolls her eyes at the never ending names Santana can come up with at the drop of a hat. Sometimes she even wonders if the girl in the room with her takes the time to think some of the names out because some are rather clever. But, she shakes her head from the thought when Santana's voice comes back to her ears.

"So, did Britts tell you what happened yesterday?" Santana asks, leaning over from her chair to open the refrigerator and grab a Gatorade.

Rachel thinks for a moment at anything of particular interest that the blonde girl could have told her but she comes up short minus the intriguing fact that it's illegal to drink beer out of a bucket while sitting on a curb in St. Louis. She couldn't help but wonder at the time it came out of her friends mouth just how she knew such a thing but then again Brittany tended to be a vat of useless yet insightful knowledge.

"No. Good news?" She responds quickly turning her head to glance at Santana.

"Hardly. Her fucking TA for her dance class put the moves on her." The fiery Latina explains, it still pissed her off that this guy would touch his girl. Rachel stops stirring and swiftly turns around.

"What? When? How?" So many thoughts to process.

Before Santana can continue the story Brittany comes through the front door greeting the girls in her entrance. She tosses her bag onto the couch and joins them in the kitchen taking a seat on her girlfriends lap.

"I was just telling Berry here about yesterday." Santana fills the blonde in on the conversation they had started just seconds before her arrival. Brittany sighs with a nod, clearly not wanting to relive those moments.

"Yeah, he kissed me." She informs the diva who is standing in front of them in shock, spoon still in hand with soup dripping onto the kitchen floor.

"Wow, what did you do?" She quickly inquires before turning around to remove her lunch from the stove top.

"I pushed him away, quit the dance troupe, came home and told Santana what happened." Brittany states in order of sequence, Santana nodding along with her.

"Oh." The diva's eyebrows go up for a moment, her back still to the couple.

"Yeah, shitsville for that dude if I ever meet him." Santana announces. "Alright, I smell like the hamburger grill from Nelson's." She playfully smacks her girlfriend's thigh to let her know she needs to get up. Brittany takes her spot and she leans down to kiss the blonde's forehead. "I'm going to go shower and then we can order dinner." She vanishes into the hallway and both of the girl's in the kitchen remain quiet until the bathroom door closes.

"I can't believe that happened Brittany." Rachel says sympathetically, turning around with her bowl of soup in her hand. "I'm sorry you had to quit too." Brittany nods, she is sorry too but there are some things more important.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't going to just pretend it didn't happen just to be in that group." She huffs out, bringing her feet up to rest on the chair beside her. Rachel nods along in agreement, blowing on the soup to cool it off. "Besides, you really think Santana would want me to stay in the group knowing that Jason had kissed me?" She rests her chin in the palm of her hand, propping her elbow up on the table and watching Rachel eat her soup. The brunette shrugs, slurping away at her lunch.

"If you didn't tell her then it wouldn't have been a problem I guess." She thinks out and from the look on Brittany's face that was not the right comment to make.

"That's stupid." Brittany states in monotone.

"In reality yes, but in theory no. See, if you didn't tell Santana what had happened then you'd still have the opportunity to be in the dance group. I mean, you were so excited about being asked to join it." Rachel does have a point, but Brittany is seeing none of it.

"Rachel," Brittany stands up. "Maybe you think that keeping things from _your_ girlfriend is okay, not so bad or whatever." She crosses her arms trying her hardest to remain unknowing of all she actually does know. "But Santana and I don't work like that. We tell each other everything."

"But that's like cheating you guys are best friend. You're not just girlfriends." Rachel points out and this gets a small chuckle from Brittany.

"Aren't you and Quinn best friends?" Rachel gives her a look. "Okay, I mean Santana and I are Quinn's best friends but you know what I mean."

"Well, yeah I mean we tell each other everything." The blonde quirks an eyebrow and juts her hip out in a stance that is all too familiar of one used by Santana.


	8. Chapter 8

**_hey dudes! thanks for the reviews, you guys are amazing :) i heart all of your faces._**

**_hope you're ready for some Britt-Britt, Satana and Rachel Berry times... or something like that_**

* * *

><p>Sunny Sunday's are one of the many beautiful things that New York City has to offer. The sidewalks, like always, jam packed with pedestrians making their way to whatever destination is ahead of them. It's chilly but not too cold to require a heavy coat just something simple and preferably complimenting to the rest of one's chosen attire.<p>

Sunday mornings in the Berry-Pierce-Lopez palace is something of a work in progress. In the very beginning Rachel desperately tried her hardest to get the other two to agree to have breakfast/brunch each Sunday to stay up to date with this and that of their hectic everyday schedule. Reluctantly and to make Brittany happy, Santana agreed and so it lasted for a long while.

But this Sunday morning the couple is not greeted by the smell of some awful vegan dish passing as a substitute for bacon. Nor are their ears rattled to the early afternoon rush outside their window thanks to the sounds of Rachel practicing her scales in the bathroom. No, this Sunday is actually a rather quiet one.

Brittany is the first to wake, her head turning to the right and her eyes falling on her still very asleep girlfriend. She lets out a slow rush of air through her lips and stretches her arms over her head as she looks to her left at the clock on her nightstand. It is already 12:15pm and there has yet to be a peep from the usually very vocal Rachel Berry.

"Babe." Brittany whispers, rolling her body closely up against Santana's.

"Hmm?" The Latina responds through heavy lids clearly not moving anytime soon from her current position.

"I'm gonna go to the corner market and get some fruit." The blonde tells her, keeping her voice as quiet as possible. Santana nods, moving her arm further under her pillow as she lets out a grunt from stretching.

"M'kay." She responds slowly offering a small smile in her still half asleep state.

"Be right back." The blonde moves to leave the bed but Santana's and grabs her by the arm.

"Kiss." Santana says a little louder and puckers her lips out. Brittany grins, a small giggle tickling the inside of her mouth and she leans in to peck her girlfriend.

She moves casually through their room, bending down to grab a pair of Santana's old Cheerio's sweat pants by her dresser and slipping into them as her eyes search for a top that does not involve any exertion. Her fingers comb through her blonde locks, quickly tying her hair up into a messy bun and she spots a tank top lying haphazardly over the chair in front of the vanity. With that on she grabs Santana's Cheerio's jacket and slips on her running shoes and is on her way to get her and her woman some fruit.

The living room is empty and there are no signs of any kind of cooking that may have been done. What there is however is a small note posted to the counter by the sink.

_Coffee machine's not working for me this morning. Ran down to Cup's to grab us some. Be back soon.- Rachel_

Brittany rolls her eyes, reading it over for a second time. She shakes her head and crumples the piece of paper, tossing it uncaringly into the garbage under the sink. Cup's happens to be the exact coffee place that Brittany spotted Rachel and Jesse, twice. She truly and honestly was going to give Rachel the benefit of the doubt, hope that maybe she read too much into what she saw and leave it be.

But it was clear that whatever _was_ going on between the exes Quinn has absolutely no idea. If she had any kind of clue as to her girlfriend's new companion Brittany is quite certain she and or Santana would have gotten some very heated phone calls. Regardless of the nature of their rendezvous it wouldn't matter, Quinn would be all up in it needing to know details and to be assured that nothing of the romantic context was going on. However, Brittany is not too sure about what exactly _is_ going on.

After she and Rachel spoke the other night, she was awake in bed for hours thinking about significant other's and how much truth is too much truth. Was there even such a thing? Brittany and Santana had pretty much prided themselves on being open and honest in every aspect of their relationship whether it is their friendship or their romantic relationship. And at this comforting thought Brittany felt a pang of guilt reside in her chest.

She still has not told Santana about seeing Rachel and Jesse together and normally this would be something she would have no problem telling her girlfriend. But there are so many repercussions to consider that she is finding it difficult to make a choice. In an ideal world, Brittany would not hesitate in calling Quinn up and telling her the deal but the fact of the matter is, there's nothing Quinn can do from Lima. And Brittany relaying the message could potentially spark an unnecessary fight and or break up because even still, she doesn't have all the facts.

Where Santana is concerned, well, Brittany fears the Latina's initial reaction to the information. When she imagines telling her she pictures a lot of cursing in English and in Spanish and a few threats thrown in Rachel's general vicinity. Each scenario ends with Rachel either bleeding or severely injured and Brittany, even though she doesn't like this shady business, is kind of fond of the tiny brunette and plus she doesn't want her girlfriend getting arrested.

On the way to the corner market Brittany makes a decision and Rachel will either accept it or not, but regardless, Brittany is going to tell Santana today. It doesn't sit well with her to keep anything from Santana, even if it has nothing to do with the well being of their relationship. They're best friends and best friends share everything.

The market is a block away from Cup's, so, the blonde forgoes her journey to the market figuring she can hit it up on the way back and decides to make her moves here and now. She crosses the street a half a block down hoping that 'by chance' she will run in to the sneaky diva and her ex-man friend.

* * *

><p>Santana shifts under the covers, her hand reaching over to Brittany's side of the bed only to come up empty. Her head snaps up to see the pillow beside her is not covered with blonde hair and then she remembers the sweet lady kiss from her girl who ran to the store. She drops her head back to the pillow and lets out a loud yawn, turning her body onto her back and stretching till she can't stretch anymore.<p>

The apartment is quiet and empty and Santana rubs her eyes kicking Rachel's bedroom door to find the brunette is not inside. She tilts her head curiously only to shrug her shoulders in the same motion realizing she really doesn't care. The kitchen is clean meaning Brittany was in rare form yesterday, luckily she herself was at work. She moves to the coffee pot and sets it up, not moving until the first sounds of the water boiling inside.

Their land line phone rings startling her momentarily before she walks over to the wall to pull the receiver to her ear.

"Hello?" She answers her voice so not ready for any kind of conversation.

"Hey San." It's Quinn and her all too bright and cheery giggle. "Did you just wake up?" She knows Santana did, she can tell by her atrocious sounding voice but she asks just the same.

"Yeah, few seconds ago." The Latina yawns, pulling a chair from the table with her foot and turning to flop her body right on to it. "What's up?" She asks tugging at the bottom of the very old and way too big for her sweatshirt she has on.

"Actually I was wondering if you could tell me." Quinn she sighs sounding bewildered and tired. Santana's eyebrows furrow and she pulls her legs up to her chest rubbing her hands up and down the skin of her legs.

"What does that even mean?" It's way too early for her to comprehend these silly puzzles and riddles from Quinn. There's a slight pause between Santana's voice and the blonde's.

"Is Rachel doing okay?" Quinn asks, concern lacing her voice. The Latina's eyes trace the perimeter of their kitchen as her mind searches for an answer, any answer, the right answer.

"I guess so." Is the answer she decides on, which isn't a lot for either of them to go on. "Why? Is something going on with you guys?"

"Oh, yeah, we're totally fine. I just… well she's been so busy lately. Tests and the library." The list isn't so long, it's pretty short but Santana gets the gist of it.

"Wait, random question. Why didn't you call my cell?" Santana points out in confusion.

"Maybe because when I did no one answered." She explains and then the dark haired girl remembers her phone being on silent, in her nightstand drawer, under a butt load of stuff to muffle the sounds of anything that could remotely disturb her day to sleep in.

"Right." She nods to herself and hangs her head on the back of the chair. "Anyway, I mean, yeah Berry's been at the library a lot but you know, college is so different from high school. Britt's _always_ busy with _something_ from school." This triggers her to remember Brittany vs. The TA-Douche and her head lifts up quickly. "Oh p to the s, did Britt tell you about that teacher?"

"Uh duh!" Santana can hear the disgust in her friend's voice. "She told me the other day. What a shit head."

"Tell me about it. I swear on all that is unholy if he even so much as breathes by her, his dick will be sitting comfortably in a jar that I will sell on eBay." She explains and flicks a piece of lint from her shoulder and rolls her eyes at the dumbness that is that guy. Quinn cackles into the receiver garnering an amused smirk from the Latina.

"What is she gonna do about him during regular class?" The blonde questions after her laughter subsides.

"I told her to tell her advisor, talk to someone if she feels too uncomfortable but she's actually fine. She said it wasn't like he did anything really." Santana shrugs her shoulders, closing her eyes trying not to imagine some loser's lips trying to kiss her girlfriends.

"I think my question should have been more what are _you_ gonna do about it?" She giggles and Santana can't fight the amused smile that covers her lips, Quinn knows her all too well.

"It's taken care of." The Latina assures the blonde.

"And what does that mean?"

"That means that I will be chaperoning their classes together." Quinn does not even try and cover her laughter with her hand this time and lets out loudly.

"You are a crazy bitch."

"Not even in the city and your foul mouth is already making me squirm in my seat awaiting your return." Santana chuckles, her head shaking in her hand.

"What does B have to say about you stalking out her life?"

"First of all it's not stalking, it's over seeing. And secondly, it took a little convincing but she finally let me have my way." She gets up from her seat to grab a mug and pours herself some hot coffee, her eyes flickering to the refrigerator debating on whether to grab the milk or stick with her and Brittany's deal.

"Because she knows you'll just show up anyway." Quinn points out, getting a nod from the Latina she can't see. "Hmmm… I'd probably do the same thing to be honest."

"And this is why we're friends." Santana states matter of factly.

"Cause we're possessive?" The blonde asks.

"_No_." She quickly replies sounding offended only to continue in a light hearted tone. "Cause we are _over_ possessive of the things we love."

* * *

><p>Brittany gets closer to the front of the small coffee shop and there is no sign of Rachel or Jesse. For a moment she is grateful for not spotting them outside, laughing and talking like she had the other day. But she doesn't keep her hopes held high because they can very well be inside like they were the first time she saw them together.<p>

She stops in front of the door and takes in a deep breath, preparing herself for the awkward encounter she is about to embark on as well as try her best not to jump to any conclusions. There's a line at the register but its all mother's with strollers and bald business men with their newspapers under their arms. Her lips twist and she cranes her neck to look over the few people standing in front of her looking from left to right.

Her mouth opens a little and she fells back onto her heels from her toes and she lets out a low breath before she takes her first steps forward.

They don't see her, not that she is trying to be sneaky, they're just too wrapped up in each other and themselves or one or the other to even notice her. The first one of them to acknowledge her presence is Jesse. He looks up and over Rachel, his eyebrows knitting as recognition mingles through his mind. Rachel stops talking and glances over her shoulder, eyebrows rising slightly at the sight of her friend/roommate.

Brittany stops at the table, standing beside a sitting Rachel who is still staring at her. The blonde keeps her eyes on the brunette and watches her mouth move but no words coming out.

"Brittany." Rachel is quick to switch to a smile and a friendly greeting, not at all fazing the blonde. She turns back to Jesse and motions to the blonde girl. "Jesse you remember Brittany, she went to McKinley." Realization comes over Jesse's face and he nods, smiling at the girl who is still standing. Brittany's eyes flicker to Jesse but are quick to bore into Rachel's.

"What are you doing?" She asks, not harshly or nasty or confused or anything really, it kind of comes out in her usual nonsensical monotone voice. Rachel looks back and forth between Jesse and Brittany before deciding to excuse herself from the table and grabs the blonde by the elbow. "You're a liar." Brittany tells her as she is being guided out to the sidewalk in front of the shop. Rachel lets go of her arm and gives her a confused look.

"How am I liar? I left you a note saying I was coming down to get coffee." She counters going to cross her arms but at the last second changing her mind. "I came down here and ran in to Jesse. Small world huh?" She lets out a nervous laugh and all Brittany can do is look down, shake her head and breathes in and out deeply.

"You didn't run into him though." Brittany says softly, slowly lifting her head up to find the brunette staring at her caught, scared and so uncertain. "I saw you… with him, twice."

"It's not what you think." Rachel immediately blurts out, her eyes nervously flickering from Brittany to the people passing by. The blonde's eyebrows knit together and her head jerks back slightly.

"I don't know what to think Rachel. All I know is that you're dating one of my best friends and I've seen you three times with some guy you used to date." Brittany explains in the most understanding tone of voice she could muster considering the circumstances.

* * *

><p>Santana's walking around the apartment in her over sized sweatshirt that barely covers her bright pink underwear clad ass. With coffee mug in one hand she brings her other hand up to run her fingers through her hair. She stops right in front of the DVD tower next to their entertainment center. Okay, it's not really an entertainment center but more of a table with a television, cable box and DVD player placed on top of it. But still, it's in the center of the wall and it holds their entertainment goods.<p>

Her eyes start from the very top, her hand coming out of her hair raising it up to the DVD's she was reading the titles of. She never realized how many of the movies that Brittany had brought were actually _her_ movies and she giggles to herself at that fact. Her nose crinkles in disgust when her eyes fall upon 'Gypsy'.

Now, Santana is not a musical hater, she's really not. But it's 'Gypsy', the one with Natalie Wood. She likes Natalie Wood just as much as the next gal but, she always prefers a little Bette Midler. She rolls her eyes when she finally continues to travel the length of the tower every now and again making noises of distaste as she goes along when all of a sudden the collector's edition box set or whatever of Barbra Streisand comes into view.

Her fingers fiddle with the thick container, lips twisting in devious thought and her eyes shift from side to side as though she were making sure the coast is clear. She pulls it out halfway seriously contemplating going through with her heart's desire but hesitates before shoving it back into place. It won't matter if she burns this thing, Rachel will just go out and buy seven more.

She turns on her heels and looks around the living room. It's just as spotless as the kitchen and she wonders what the hell got into Brittany yesterday. The only time she's ever cleaned like this is when Santana told her she was using her for Puck. The memory still stung, even though it was well over two years ago.

The pillows looked fluffier, the floor was most definitely swiffered and it looks like someone painted with whiteout on the corner of the wall by the door where the knob always seems to hit. The coats and jackets were neatly hung up on the coat rack that Rachel just said they needed because it was so very New York apartment. And there are no rings from perspiration on cups on their coffee table. Her lips turn upside down and she hums out a thinking noise.

* * *

><p>"I know it looks bad." Rachel sighs bringing her hand to her forehead and looks down at the blonde's arms crossed over her chest. "But I can explain…"<p>

"Rachel." Brittany interrupts her desperate pleas and the other girl looks up to meet her eyes. "What you do is none of my business." She begins to explain and for a moment it looks like the diva relaxes. "But, anything to do with Quinn _is_ my business." The brunette's shoulders tense up again and she nods. They stare at one another for a few moments, letting the people walking by be the noise between them. "Are you cheating on her?" Rachel's eyebrows shoot up and her mouth drops.

"No!" She yells, some guy walking by them jumps and stares at the two of the girls annoyed. Rachel watches him walk away shaking his head and then turns back to her friend. "No Brittany, I am not cheating on Quinn." She affirms matching the other girls pose crossing her arms over her chest.

"Are you thinking about cheating?" Brittany innocently questions, her head tilting to the side as she studies the diva's facial reactions. "Because I mean, I get that it's probably super lonely, being here alone. I know you have me and Santana with you but, I'm sure you get so sad sometimes." And even though they both know the blonde is sincere they both get that she is not condoning sadness and loneliness for cheating. "And look, you don't owe me an explanation but you do owe one to Q. So," She uncrosses her arms and stands up straight. "I'm giving you the chance to tell her, everything, whatever this," She motions with her hand between Rachel and the coffee shop door, "is. But if you don't tell her soon, then I'm gonna tell her." Rachel slowly nods as Brittany turns around to leave her standing alone in front of Cup's.

"Are you going to tell Santana?" Rachel calls out getting the blonde to glance over her shoulder.

"Yeah, I tell her everything." Brittany shrugs and offers her friend an apologetic smile.

* * *

><p>Santana's lying on her stomach on the couch, coffee cup forgotten about a while ago on the dividing counter top to the kitchen and the living room by a random figurine Brittany bought. She has the television set to Soap Net, which is currently playing a One Tree Hill marathon, while she flips through a copy of People. Her legs are kicking in the air behind her when the door opens prompting her to look up.<p>

"Hey doll face." Santana greets with a sweet smile seeing her girlfriend coming through the door.

"Hey." Brittany sighs, kicking the door closed with her foot while holding a bag of groceries in her hands. Santana jumps up from her spot on the couch and relieves the blonde by taking the paper bag out of her arms. "Thanks."

"Of course." The Latina winks, leaning in and up to press her lips to the taller girls. She turns and heads for the kitchen, bag in arms, giving her girlfriend the chance to take in her current ensemble.

"Aw babe, you dressed up for me." Brittany jokes, hanging Santana's Cheerio jacket on the rack and following the other girl into the kitchen.

"Duh, you're my lady. Gotta look cute, sexy, sweet and ready to get it on at the drop of a hat." She uses her over sexy voice, both laughing at how raspy she can make her voice even though they both know that Brittany really does think it's fucking hot. "Oh, I made coffee while you were gone." She nods her head towards the counter where the coffee was in fact made and waiting to be poured. Brittany looks to the coffee machine and shakes her head, it is so not broken she thinks.

"Santana, I've got something to tell you." Brittany says softly and rests her hands on to the counter in front of her. She hears the movement behind her stop and she closes her eyes hating that her girlfriend is probably thinking the worst right now. "It's nothing about me, I swear." She spins around to see a flash of relieve wash over the Latina's face.

"Oh, thank god." Her hand comes up to her chest. "I thought I was going to have to like, kick someone's ass like that Jason douche for example."

"Douche?" Brittany asks with amusement.

"Yeah, not very creative but it's been stuck in my head for the past couple of days. I blame the media." She jokes turning back to the bag filled with fruit. "So, what's the situation? What do you have to tell me?" Brittany pushes herself away from the counter and takes a seat at the table watching Santana unpack the groceries.

"It has to do with Rachel… and Quinn." Santana once again stops her movements and snaps her head up to make eye contact with the blonde. Her mind racing with the phone call she had earlier with her best friend. "But you can't tell Quinn, you have to promise." She wants to fight this, she wants to argue the fact that Quinn is their best friend where Rachel is just a mere inconvenience in their lives. But the look on Brittany's face tells her she has to agree.

"I promise." Brittany takes a deep breath and laces her fingers together on her lap.

"Last Sunday, when I was on my way to pick you up at Mick's cause you were too drunk to walk home on your own," Santana's nodding remembering last Sunday, though in bits and pieces, she remembers. "Well, you know how Cup's is like, on the right on the corner over there?"

"Yeah." Santana lets out quickly.

"I saw Rachel there with Jesse, Jesse St. James." She blurts out. Santana's eyebrows rising to her hairline and her jaw clenching but without tensing the muscles in her face so much. "And then I saw them again when I was on my way to school the other day and…" She rolls her eyes, annoyed at this whole situation and that she had to be the one to be in the 'know', whatever that meant. "I saw them together again this morning."

"Brittany!" Santana yells, she doesn't even know why, and Brittany jumps in her seat not expecting that to be the reaction. "Sorry." Her voice softens, she shakes her head and brings a hand up to her forehead rubbing these thoughts away.

"I didn't know what to do." Brittany admits, her girlfriend nods and moves slowly to take a seat in the chair beside her. "And I wanted to tell you the first time I saw them but…"

"It's alright." Santana rubs circles on the blonde's back, getting mad at Brittany won't help anything.

"I wanted to think they just bumped into each other that night, but then I saw them again and then this morning she left us a note about the coffee maker and I got suspicious and…" She waves her hands in the air to emphasize her words and to finish her sentence.

"Is she cheating on Q?" Santana ask, deadly serious and severely angry.

"She said no."

"So what the hell is she doing? Obviously Q has no clue that St. James is hanging around with her girlfriend, she would have mentioned that when she called this morning." The Latina says, unable to stop her head from shaking from side to side.

"She called?"

"Asking me what was up with Berry." Santana tells her, her eyes widening clearly indicating that they now both knew what was 'up' with Berry. "How come we're not telling her again?" She questions even though Brittany had never mentioned the reasons as to why they were not going to tell Quinn.

"Because, I gave Rachel an alumitum." She tells Santana confidently.

"Uh," Santana raises an eyebrow, racking her brain for the right word. "Do you mean ultimatum?"

"Is that when someone has to do something or else?" The blonde asks making Santana grin, nodding as she bites her lower lip.

"Yeah B, that's exactly it."

"I told her that she tells Q and soon or I tell her what I know, which isn't much." Brittany explains with a shrug, unclasping her hands and bringing them together flatly as though closing a book.

* * *

><p>Rachel did not want to go home. She wound up excusing herself for the rest of the day from Jesse after her encounter with Brittany. Continuing to hang out with him after the accusations made, the truths revealed and her guilt did not seem like the right thing to do.<p>

So, instead of going back to the apartment where she will most likely find a raging Santana Lopez waiting for her on the couch in the living room much like a livid parent, she's been walking around the city with her phone in her hand. Every few minutes she stops, moves to the side to get out of the pedestrian traffic and fiddle with the phone. Each time meaning to make that call, press send, tell her girlfriend everything but, she fails.

It isn't until she finds herself wandering around by the park that she finally stops moving and takes a seat on a bench. She thinks about everything and for one reason or another she can't help but think about their trip to New York last spring. When the whole Shelby/Beth/Quinn/Santana saga went down. While Quinn and Santana were MIA for a few hours, Brittany told her that they were most definitely sitting it out on a park bench somewhere. And she knew they were sitting down, much like she is right now, telling each other super secret secrets of how much they care about each other without even having to speak.

With that thought running in her mind, she brings her phone to her eye level, scrolls down to Quinn's name and presses send. The blonde picks up on the first ring with a sweet as pie, 'hello', making Rachel's stomach do flips and flops.

"Hey Quinn."


	9. Chapter 9

**_thanks for the reviews guys:) i heart your faces, mwah!_**

**_chapter 9 in full effect. enjoy and review._**

* * *

><p>During her break between classes Brittany makes her way through the city streets to Nelson's. Today is going to be the first 'sit in' Santana takes part in during her modern dance class to keep an eye on the hands on TA Jason. The blonde finds it all sorts of amusing that her girlfriend wants and needs to be there to make sure that stupid English guy keeps his limbs and tongue to himself. There's something about Santana getting possessive that only makes her fall in love with the girl more. It may sound silly and kind of immature but, Brittany finds it endearing and very sweet. It's just one of those many little ways that the Latina not only shows how much she cares but that Brittany is hers and only hers.<p>

When she arrives at Nelson's, the restaurant Santana works at and she is greeted at the door by her adoring girlfriend. Santana grabs her by the hand, swipes a menu from the host stand and leads Brittany to the table in the corner by the back.

"So sweet cheeks," Santana pretends to smack gum around in her mouth and eye the blonde up adding a wink for good measure. "What'll it be?" Brittany laughs at her girlfriend's antics, bringing the menu up to cover her face, her reaction getting a dazzling smile from Santana. Then after a few long seconds Santana reaches for the menu to uncover her girl and pinches her cheek with her free hand. "You want the usual babe?" Brittany, with her still very amused smile gives her a nod. "Very well then." She blows a kiss in the air to her blonde and turns to put the order in.

Brittany watches her girlfriend walk away, letting her eyes travel from her hair bouncing with each step right down to her backside and to those ever so perfectly toned legs. She grins to herself, reminding her about early morning promises that were made to her and she just knows by Santana's swagger right now she's trying to remind the blonde.

It's been a few days since she confronted Rachel about the Jesse situation and thus been a few days since Santana or herself have really seen her. Rachel is either out doing who knows what or locked up in her bedroom not answering any of the random knocks Brittany has delivered to her door. Santana has been telling her not to bother but she's still trying just the same to give Rachel the chance to talk to someone.

_Santana is jostled from her sleep at the sound of keys clanging in the door knob. She blinks hard once before popping her eyes open wide to truly wake herself up. She looks down to find the top of a blonde head resting on her shoulder and Brittany is still and very completely passed out. Smirking to herself she places a soft kiss to her girlfriends and then turns to look to the door as it opens, revealing Rachel to be the key jangling perpetrator._

_They made eye contact, Rachel being the first to look away and stare at the door as she closes it. She cleared her throat, tossing her keys into the dish onto the table by the coat rack where she then hangs up her jacket. Santana watching her every single movement while carefully maneuvering Brittany off of her shoulder, resting it onto the couch and gets up to standing position._

'_I know you're judging me.' Rachel said with her back still to Santana, who crossed her arms. 'But honestly, if you don't mind, I could do without it.' She sighed and finally turns around to face the other girl. 'I know Brittany told you what happened.' Santana nodded but her face remained like stone. _

'_What the fuck is going on Rachel?' Santana shouted in a whisper not wanting to wake up her sleeping beauty. Rachel's head jerks back and her mouth parts open. She could tell by the tone of the Latina's voice and the way she actually called her by her first name that she was pretty pissed off. 'Going behind Quinn's back and hanging out with Jesse fucking St. James. I mean seriously, you have got to be kidding me.' She uncrossed her arms and slapped her thighs in frustration. 'Your poor girlfriend, who loves you might I add, is stuck in shit-hole Ohio just counting the days away until she can come to New York to be with you and you're traipsing around the city with your ex-boyfriend.'_

'_We haven't been traipsing.' Rachel defended with her hands in small fists at her sides._

'_Well what the hell __**have**__ you two been doing?' Santana got a little too loud and her attention focused on Brittany for a moment, the blonde shifting on her spot on the couch but not waking up. Rachel looked away, to the floor, the door, anything really that wasn't Santana. 'You can't even look me in the eye.' The Latina pointed out with a small chuckle in her throat, but it wasn't funny._

'_I have not been 'hooking up' with Jesse, I'm sure that Brittany informed you of this already.' The diva looked up to lock her eyes into Santana's that are so dark they could cloud an entire state. 'I've been living in the place I've always dreamed of, the big apple, the place where dreams can come true.'_

'_Isn't that Disney?' Santana mocked but her anger still easily sensed. Rachel rolled her eyes and let out a slow breath._

'_And it's been great, it really has. I have Julliard, this apartment, Brittany and you.' She looked down at her hands for a moment because regardless of what Santana says, they __**are**__ friends. 'But that's the thing, you come home from work and you have Brittany to complain to about that stupid old couple that left you less than the tax which I've been meaning to tell you that a lot people over 65 years-old for some reason or another do not tip on alcohol.' She added getting a furrowed brow from the Latina. 'Brittany comes home to you and you ask her how her day was because you want to know about it and you help her with her papers and then you two go to bed, together. You have each other.'_

'_Berry, you have us to.' Santana reminded her in annoyance._

'_It's not the same.' Rachel's head hung, she clearly was not getting her point across, it was the same problem she had with Quinn only a few hours ago when she called to tell her what happened._

'_So you've been using Jesse as a substitute for Quinn?' Her face showed her disgust for such an idea._

'_No, not at all.' She shook her head. 'I don't know, he's been so happy to hear all about my time at Julliard so far and how incredible it is that I'm actually doing it, that I'm here making things happen.' She explained getting an understanding nod from Santana. 'He believes in me.' Her shoulders shrugged._

'_That's a cop out.' Santana spit out, her head shaking from side to side and her lips tight into a fine line. 'You and I both know that Q believes in you the most out of everyone.'_

'_She's not here!' Rachel shouted, quick to cover her mouth and dart her eyes towards Brittany who remained unmoving on the couch._

'_You say nothing's been going on, that you and Jesse,' She turned and tilted her head to the side getting the image of stupid Jesse St. James out her head, even if for only a brief moment. 'That you have not cheated on her or thought about it whatever. But you didn't tell her, shit you didn't tell anyone that you saw him, met up with him… more than once.' Santana explained her utter frustration with such calmness it almost frightened Rachel more than when the Latina was actually furious. 'That's the point. The whole reason why everyone here is upset with you, Quinn, Brittany and me. We expect more from you and that's why we are all angry with you.'_

'_You talked to Quinn.' Rachel said quietly and softly, it wasn't a question but more of an observation by the way Santana said 'we'._

* * *

><p>Quinn is sitting in the lobby of her school. She's been sitting at one of the booths for about forty five minutes, by herself, staring at the empty booth in front of her. A few other students have walked by shooting her annoyed glares for the simple fact that she was sitting in a booth alone when they could have been making better use of such a seating arrangement. But she doesn't care.<p>

She isn't sad, she's not even all that mad really, she just… well, she isn't sure what she is.

Her phone buzzes on the table beside her books and she hesitates before picking it up. It's from Rachel. She sighs, contemplating whether to read it now or later but truth is that regardless if she reads it now or later it won't make a difference. So on that note she flips her phone open and presses 'ok' to read the text message.

_Please answer me. Xoxo Rach_

It's one of several she has received over the past two days and just like the others it's going to go unanswered. Oddly enough it's not because she doesn't want to talk to the girl because she does, she just doesn't know what it is she is supposed to say. It's not every day that your girlfriend calls you up, after being unable to reach to have a decent conversation for two weeks, and informs you that she has been hanging out with her ex-boyfriend.

Clearly Quinn's initial reaction was that Rachel was going to admit to cheating on her and was calling her to end things to run off into the sunset with Jesse fucking St. James. Or worse, that she cheated but it was a mistake and needed forgiveness. But after finally letting Rachel explain herself those thoughts vanished quickly but the relief was not a long term thing even if there was nothing going on.

Rachel explained that she had run in to Jesse after her Friday class about two weeks ago. That he had given her his number in hopes of getting together during his short visit in New York. She made it clear that she jumped around with meeting up with him and not meeting up with him, her main reason being Quinn.

Rachel was lonely, is lonely, Brittany had been right. Yeah, she had Santana and Brittany, clearly, but she didn't have that common ground with someone who truly gets her and understands her. When Jesse came out of nowhere she felt a pull to him and not in a sexual, old flame kind of way but more in a way that she could relate to someone and talk about the things she loved.

Quinn huffed at this explanation, not understanding why Rachel didn't feel like _they_ had the kind of relationship that the brunette could call her up when she felt disconnected. Rachel, without hesitation replied, 'but you're _not here_'.

She defended herself about not telling Brittany and Santana that she had been hanging out with Jesse out of fear that Santana would physically and verbally assault her and Brittany doing nothing to stop her raging girlfriend. And though she had a good point it wasn't valid enough for Quinn who just brushed it off as another lame attempt to make keeping this kind of information from her.

'I just, how am I supposed to trust you Rach if you can't even tell me that you're hanging out with an ex or even someone new', Quinn had inquired. 'I know you didn't do anything, because I believe you when you tell me that but, you withheld information and for a reason'. She added with uncertainty.

'The only reason is because I didn't want you to get mad' the diva declared clearly getting flustered. To which Quinn countered with, 'oh, so you were just never going to tell me about your two week 'friendship' tryst with Jesse St. James?'

The conversation kept going like that, back and forth, forth and back, neither side was going to win, especially Rachel's and even Rachel knew that. So with this knowledge, Quinn sighed and said, 'look, this is just a lot to take in right now and I've got a bunch of papers and tests and… I gotta go'. She doesn't want to be one of those girls who over analyzes and over talks everything. She doesn't want to be one of those girlfriend's that pick fights over things that didn't happen. The point is simple, if Rachel can keep something like this, small and honestly at the end of the day not truly a big deal, from Quinn then what else is she capable of hiding.

* * *

><p>Santana and Brittany walk hand in hand towards the blonde's evening modern dance class. They've been trying not to dwell on the drama going on with Quinn and Rachel, even though the blonde <em>is<em> their best friend it's not about friendship right now. Brittany explains to Santana that this relationship stuff should not have sides being taken, that Rachel knows she was wrong and that the only way they can work things out is together without outside forces. Reluctantly, Santana agrees unable to stop the small smile that creeps up on her face as her girlfriend waxes poetic and philosophical prose of relationships and such.

Brittany drags her girlfriend through the double wooden doors that lead to the auditorium where her modern dance classes have been taking place. She pulls her up the aisle and motions for her to take a seat somewhere between the front and the back giving her a stern look when Santana tries to move up to the front. She kisses the Latina on the cheek, leaving her duffle bag in her lap before turning to head for the stage with her water bottle in hand. Santana watches the blonde climb the steps, her hot green leggings accentuating each and every muscle from her calves all the way up to her firm behind.

Her smirk fades away however when she spots some guy standing next to the teacher, too young to be a teacher himself but too old to be a student. One eye squints, one eyebrow quirks up and she crosses her arms over her chest. A flash of blonde catches her eye and she moves her gaze over the stage to where Brittany is stretching along with a few other students.

Santana smiles to herself watching her girlfriend giggling and getting along well with her classmates, it's a nice thing to see even if Brittany getting along good with _anyone_ isn't out of the norm. It seems they all like Brittany just as much as the rest of the world does, so it's safe to say she doesn't have to worry about anyone else in this class trying to cop a feel on her lady.

So, with this in mind, she relaxes a bit and uncrosses her arms letting them rest gently onto her lap. Brittany had told her that she'd be bored sitting all by herself watching a stupid dance class but truth is, Santana can watch Brittany do anything and she will be entertained. She even once stared at the blonde while she examined a drop of water on a table at Breadstix.

Once the instructor took control of his class, the kids began a warm up with some twists and turns and jumps and a bunch of other dance moves that Santana does not know the exact names of. Brittany, of course, does everything perfect and her name is in the small list of other's by the teacher. When they are all done getting prepared for the day's lesson, he tells them to get into their positions from the last class and the Latina looks on as Brittany falls to the back far left of the stage with some skinny blonde kid who puts his hands on her hips.

The music starts and they all begin to move gracefully and together. Out of the corner of her eye she can see the teacher and the TA talking amongst themselves, pointing to some of the students every now and again prompting Jason, the TA, to write a few notes. The main teacher, Ernie, Santana thinks that's his name but she can't really remember it could be Bert or she could very well just be giving him Sesame Street names, if motioning towards the students a few feet away from Brittany when he stomps his foot and waves his arm to cut the music.

"No Jeremy!" Bert or Ernie yells, marching over towards Brittany and the skinny boy whose name is apparently Jeremy. Brittany moves out of the boys embrace while he stands awkwardly next to her, his arms dangling at his sides. "How many times do we have to go over this? 1-2-3 and 4. _And _4. You keep forgetting the 'and'." Bernie, maybe it's Bernie, says to him disappointment in his voice. "Oh, and try and lead from now on. Brittany here should be your muse, your puppet almost. She needs to move because of the motions of your body, with _emotion_ please." He shakes his head, bringing his hand up to his forehead and rubs it in exhaustion.

"Yes Sir." Jeremy's voice is so quiet Santana can barely hear it.

"Enough of the yes Sir and just do it. Here," Bernie softens his voice a little and motions for Jason to come to his side. "Let Jason show you how to do it." Santana's eyes widen and she moves to the edge of her seat. Brittany rolls her eyes uncomfortably and takes center stage waiting for Jason, who is hesitantly placing his clipboard down and walking towards the blonde. "Now place your hands on Brittany's hips and we'll take it from the middle." Bernie instructs.

Santana is literally about to get up and out of her chair but she knows that she can't make a scene in the middle of Brittany's class. So, she takes a deep breath and watches Jason rest his hands on her girlfriend's hips. Brittany looks uncomfortable and irritated, she looks out to where Santana is sitting and takes a deep breath. She puts her hand out, low by her hip in a signal for Santana to stay put and not do anything.

The music begins and Bernie counts them off. Jason's hands travel along the sides of Brittany's body, up and down until coming into contact with her arms then down to her hands that are by her waist. She steps forward and he pulls her back into her, against his body with his hand over her stomach in an intense and sensual pose. Santana has seen Brittany perform over a million times and she's never thought twice about someone else's hands on her, but that was because it was just dancing. It is just dancing. But today, with Jason's hands all over her she feels sick and angry. Even though nothing went further than his lips on hers, Santana can't shake the fact that this guy has clearly thought of more with her girlfriend. And in some gross, in his head kind of way probably thinks this closeness to her is amazing. It's gross.

However, she sits there, as still as can be. Letting her eyes throw daggers and shoot laser beams in his direction. And when the music stops she finally lets a breath she hadn't realized she was holding out and moves back into her seat. She hears Bernie praising the two of them, even going so far as to telling the other girl's in the class to keep an eye out for Brittany. But all she can see is Jason standing a little behind Brittany staring at her ass.

"This guy has no tact." She mumbles to herself as she props her elbow on the arm rest and placing her cheek in the palm of her hand.

The class continues, the dancing goes on and on and the music sounds like its getting louder. But eventually Bernie calls out to end today's lesson and tells everyone what to work on and expect for next class. Santana pushes herself up from her seat in the audience and slowly walks up to the edge of the stage, waiting for the blonde to finish talking with her classmates. When she turns to face Santana she has a huge smile on her face and she waves excitedly at her.

"I hope you weren't too bored." Brittany pouts, but there's clearly a smile shining through. Santana grins and shakes her head hard , holding her hand up to help the blonde down the steps.

"So bored." She replies sarcastically and rolls her eyes in a playful manner. "You really are incredible." Brittany blushes and laces her fingers through the shorter girls once they are both standing on even ground.

"I'm starving." She lets out and pops her water bottle open to take a swig.

"Me too, let's get something on the way home. I do not feel like cooking." Brittany nods in agreement, swinging their hands between them.

"Brittany." A man's voice calls out. Both girls stop and glance over their shoulder. It's Bernie and he is standing at the edge of the stage and waving for the blonde to come on over. She and Santana turn around and she drags the Latina along with her towards her teacher. "I, uh, I have a question." He begins as they get closer, his eyes flickering from the blonde to Santana briefly. "Jason tells me that you are no longer in his dance troupe, is this true?" He asks curiously. Brittany and Santana look at one another, the blonde nervously bites on her lower lip.

"Yes Sir." Brittany nods and squeezes her girlfriend's hand a tiny bit harder than before. He gives her a strange look, something between confusion and disapproval.

"Well, I'm sure you have a very good reason for such a decision because…" Santana is sure he was about to go on about how a decision like this so early on in her career at this school could make other teachers stray from wanting to teach her but he does not get the chance seeing as Jason comes in and interrupts.

"Actually Bernie," Santana nods thinking, yes, it is Bernie. "After a few classes I felt Brittany was just not up to par as the other students. She _was_ the only freshman in the group and the other students have a lot more experience." He shrugs at his boss and shoots Brittany a pleading eye. Santana on the other hand furrows her eyebrows and takes a half of a step forward thus entering the conversation.

"Actually Bernie," She speaks up getting the other three to turn to her, Brittany's eyes wide in full alert mode. "May I call you Bernie?" Santana back tracks for a moment with the realization she is speaking to a professor who she does not know, but he nods nonetheless with an interested smirk on his lips. "That is not how it went down." She admits, Jason seems to fall into himself like a turtle going back into its shell while Brittany's eyes go back to normal size.

"Santana." The blonde whispers, gently tugging on the Latina's hand. Santana's head whips in the direction of Brittany.

"What?" Santana asks in response, her voice just as low and airy. "You can't let him just lie."

"What is going on here?" Bernie speaks up, his voice loud and attention grabbing getting both girls to look back at him.

"The thing is, I just didn't feel like I was ready and I bowed out." Brittany lies and Santana's face drops, her mouth opening ready to object but Brittany continues. "I was embarrassed at that fact and I guess Jason is just trying to make it seem like it was an artistic choice on his part." She shrugs her shoulders, trying her best to play off that innocent little girl routine she's learned all too well watching Santana with her parents.

"Is that so?" Bernie taps his chin and glances at Jason who is to his right and then back at Brittany as though figuring out if this is a valid story. It seems to sit well enough with him as the truth seeing as he begins to nod a little. "Very well then. Maybe next time Brittany." He grins at her and gently pats her on the back. "But I assure you, we will be knocking down your door in the future, you are a very talented young dancer. Don't let your nerves get to you." And with a wink Bernie is gone in a blink of an eye with Jason hot on his trail, every now and again looking over his shoulder at the two girl's standing still at the bottom of the stage.

"Brittany what the fuck are you doing?" Santana knocks them both back into reality, pulling her girlfriend up the aisle and towards the double doors. "You're making him look good." She hisses and rolls her eyes.

"You don't understand how hard it is to make it in the business of dance, especially modern dance which is Jason's specialty." Brittany explains half heartedly. "I know he was wrong, trying to…"

"Put the moves on you." Santana finishes her sentence, annoyance in her voice, she doesn't even try to hide it.

"Yeah, but he is really good at what he does." She looks down, a small frown tugging the corners of her lips.

"You should have told your teacher." The Latina tells her matter of factly. "But, if you feel what you did is right then… whatever." Her shoulders shrug, knowing this is not a fight she is going to start because she is most likely not going to win.

"I know what you want me to do, I want to too but, it was so insignificant Santana. I wouldn't feel right ruining someone's career because of a misunderstanding." She sighs and once they reach the city streets outside of the school she stops and takes Santana's other hand in her own so she is holding both of them. Her eyes search Santana's and the Latina looks on, waiting for the blonde to say something. Brittany smiles softly and squeezes their hands together. "I do not plan on letting myself be in a room alone with that guy ever again." She states firmly with a nod. "So you really have nothing to worry about. Besides," She leans forward pressing her forehead to Santana's. "You are going to be there to defend my honor if an appropriate situation were to arise." She scrunches her nose, getting a small giggle from her girlfriend and leans more forward to press their lips together. "Now come on, your woman's is hungry and could eat a whole pizza right now." She turns them around and leads them towards the sidewalk and up the block to the pizza place on the corner.

"Alright, alright." Santana rolls her eyes.

"Hey Santana," Brittany leans her head on the shorter girls shoulder. "Why do they call it a pizza pie? I mean, it's not a pie, it's a pizza."

* * *

><p><em>I love you.-R<em>

It is the latest text from Rachel, third in the last two hours actually. Quinn is kind of surprised at how much will power Rachel seems to have because Quinn would definitely be hunting her down like there was no tomorrow. She may even get the first flight out of Lima to New York. Though, thinking that over Quinn is pretty sure Rachel's been on expedia or some other travel website trying to find a flight.

"So, how do things go my little sad blonde love bug?" Kurt comes into her view and she realizes she is still sitting in the booth in the lobby. She nods and thinks she smiles but judging from his face that action has been a failure. "That bad huh?" Her eyes fall down to her lap, her fingers playing with the hem of her shirt and she nods once again. "Have you talked to her?" Her jaw clenches for a moment, she swallows roughly and takes a breath in before shaking her head slowly.

"I don't have anything to say and I don't want to hear anything she has to say." Quinn admits, her voice hoarse from not using it for well over an hour. She looks up, meeting his caring eyes and he gives her an understanding once over, nod included. "I know she's sorry, I know she says nothing happened and I know that she loves me but…"

"I know." Kurt reaches over offering his hand to her which she gladly accepts and he covers her hand with his other one.

"I just…" She pauses, shakes her head and tries her best not to let the tears spill from her eyes. "It's hard enough being apart as it is, and then to hear this. She ran into him like two weeks ago." Her eyes widen and her hand squeezes Kurt's. "Two weeks Kurt!" She kind of yells and some other students in the lobby turn and stare at her for a few moments. "If she would have just told me to begin with, I mean, yes I would have been slightly irritated that she was meeting up with him but, at least I would have known." She looks to their joined hands for comfort and then back up to his warm eyes. "I just need a few days to be, I don't know, something _at_ her, some emotion, that's all. This isn't ending us, I know we are going to be together for a long time."

"Just make sure she knows that." Kurt says softly, tapping his blonde friend's hand.

* * *

><p>"Do you want my cheese?" Santana asks, her eyebrows furrowed and her nose scrunched up as she watches her fingers pick the cheese off of her third slice of pizza. She knows she doesn't have to ask, but she does anyway, and isn't surprised when Brittany nods furiously and shoves her slice of pizza under the Latina's so she can drop the cheese right on top.<p>

"I love cheese." Brittany hums out with pizza and a whole lot of cheese in her mouth getting a giggle from the girl across from her.

"I know, you're gonna turn into cheese." Santana jokes and the blonde nods as she chews her dinner. "Hey, do you wanna go to the movies after this?" She asks, playing with the straw in her cup. Brittany lets the question tumble around in her head for a few seconds before shrugging.

"Sure."

"I am just so over the mopey, reclusive and even more irritating version of Berry." Santana explains as she continues to prepare her third slice of pizza with some red pepper flakes and garlic salt, Brittany simply watches.

Brittany smiles as Santana disregards her own comment and jumps right in to what movie they should see. She knows that Santana is totally over Rachel being the way she has been since the Jesse saga but, she also knows that Santana wants to give Rachel her space. But that this is her own way of admitting to it. And she can feel it, in that little pizzeria up the block from her school that even though there is a cloud hanging over Quinn and Rachel's relationship that everything is going to be just fine.


	10. Chapter 10

**_hello, hello, hello!_**

**_chapter 10 here. i hope you enjoy the read my loves._**

**_read and review:) kiss kiss_**

* * *

><p>Santana is sitting on the chair in front of their vanity gently removing a day's worth of makeup. Her hair is tossed in a loose bun, dressed down in a tank top and some boy shorts fully prepared for some much needed cuddle time and rest. Brittany comes into their bedroom just as exhausted from her full day of classes and usually running around. She throws her earrings onto the vanity as she passes by and ruffles the Latina's hair.<p>

"Tired babe?" Santana asks with a soft smile when she sees the blonde yawning and leans closer to the mirror to dab a wet cloth under her eyes. Brittany nods, letting the yawn run its course and pulls the comforter down for them.

"Totally." She grumbles. "Bernie had to leave early, some emergency or something." She shrugs, not paying any mind to what she is saying but merely relaying the day she had to her companion. "Then Jason made us do the same routine over and over again." Santana huffs loudly and rolls her eyes at the mention of that guy's name.

"I still can't believe you didn't rat that guy out." She says, pulling back from the mirror and making eye contact with Brittany's reflection. "He's so on my list." She states firmly before turning her attention back to her makeup removal. Brittany's knits her eyebrows together while slowly kneeling onto the bed.

"Santana, I thought we already had this discussion." Brittany points out only to get yet another eye roll from her girlfriend.

"And _I_ already told _you_ that while it is your decision, I do not agree with it." Santana hums out, bringing the damp cloth over her lips.

"But you said that if I think it's _best_ then… whatever." Brittany explains, recounting the events of their conversation from the week before in a roundabout way prompting Santana to turn in her chair to look at her.

"And I'm pretty sure I meant it when I said it but after having time to really let it sink in, I don't anymore. So, I take it back." She says, getting the blonde to sit higher on her feet.

"This is _my_ choice, so you're just gonna have to deal with it." Brittany takes a stand and to make her point she crosses her arms over her chest and Santana chuckles.

"Oh, is that so?" The Latina arches an eyebrow as though challenging her girlfriend. "So I'm supposed to be okay with the fact that this guy who made a sexual advance on a student but more importantly _my_ girlfriend is going to go on with no punishment. And since you are comfortable being in his presence therefore I am to be comfortable as well?" Santana asks in a mocking tone, crossing one arm over her chest letting her hand rest on the back of the chair. Brittany thinks about it for a moment, then nods.

"Actually yes, I do." Santana laughs again, loudly, tossing her head back for dramatic effect.

"Well forget about that." She tells her, the amusement fading from her face.

"Why?"

"Because I don't trust him!" Santana shouts, pushing herself from the chair nearly forcing it to the ground.

"You don't have to trust him!" Brittany yells back tentatively. "The only person here you should trust is me." She explains sincerely. Santana sighs and lowers her eyes, getting an incredulous look from Brittany.

Movement in the room catches her attention and her head snaps up to find the blonde by her closet reaching up above her head to the shelf and pulling down a folded bed sheet. Brittany stalks up to Santana and shoves the bed sheet to her chest without even waiting to see if she catches it in her arms before moving to the bed to grab a pillow.

"What are you doing?" The shorter girl asks, watching the blonde come back her way and placing the pillow roughly on top of the sheet in her hands. "Brittany." Santana tries, but Brittany is not responding.

Suddenly Santana is being forced backwards by two hands on her shoulders. She stumbles a bit but lets them guide her anyway. It isn't until she is standing in the hallway that Brittany finally looks her in the eyes.

"I think a night on the couch will do you some good." Brittany takes her hands off of Santana and reaches for the door. "_Trust_ me." She glares at the Latina as the door separates them. Santana jumps at the sound of the door shutting and stares at it for a lot longer than she needs.

"What the hell just happened?" She mumbles to herself all alone in the hallway.

* * *

><p>Rachel's decided today is going to be the day she stops moping around the apartment, at school and in life in general. Today she is going to make it a point to try and be happy. The strain on her relationship with Quinn has made it so difficult to go about her day to day routine but after the e-mail she got from Quinn this morning, she finds the strength to pull through it and push onward.<p>

It was a simple e-mail really and very similar to ones she has gotten from the blonde before. But it's different now, what with the whole shit show that was Jesse St. James re-entering her life, oh, and the withholding of the truth and all. She didn't lie, she made that fact abundantly clear but Quinn was right and so was Brittany and so was Santana, but she would never let the Latina in on that bit of information. She may not have lied but by keeping the truth under lock and key she was admitting by omission she was wrong.

But not today. She shrugs off the past two weeks of horrible feelings in her gut, her heart being stretched out in a million different directions and the stupid uncertainty her brain is building up. And as she wanders around her room tidying up she can't help but smile at the hopefulness that was Quinn's e-mail.

_Rachel,_

_I know things have been awkward between us and you are not the only one to blame. I understand how hard it is to be there all by yourself and feel lonely because I feel it too. I know I'm still in Lima and there are still people around that I know but the only person that I need around me to feel whole and secure is you. I'm not going to lie and tell you that what you did didn't hurt, it still does to be honest. But we can't let that define our relationship._

_I get that it was a mistake, you keeping that information from me. And I believe you when you told me that if you had to do it all over again not only would you have told me but you would have not seen him regardless of how I felt about it. I think we are too good for something like this to take us down and too strong for us to let it. I am still very much in love with you, just disappointed I guess and that's something I cannot help._

_I miss the sound of your voice, your real voice not the one that I hear on my voicemails. I miss your face, smile, laughter and even your tears when you watch a sad movie. I miss you._

_So, I'm going to call you later tonight and hopefully we can talk about everything we've been missing out on these past two weeks. Because I want to hear about your day, I want to know how your classes are going and if Santana is getting easier to live with. Obviously she tells me one thing but I want to hear all of this stuff from you, my girlfriend._

_I guess this e-mail is me telling you that I forgive you. I forgive you because I love you too much, because I can't understand the world without you. I know it's still far away but I can honestly say that I cannot wait to be living there with you in New York. I can't wait to start making those memories we will be talking about in the years to come._

_Love Always, _

_Quinn_

The hallway is still empty, void of her friends so she can only assume that they are still 'sleeping' or something. Desperately she wants to knock on their bedroom door and share the amazingness that is the e-mail from Quinn but, she's content to revel in it alone for the time being. When she reaches the end of the hallway and there are only two choices to be made, kitchen or living room her mind is brought back to reality when she hears something.

It sounds like a muffled snore or maybe some words, she cannot truly decipher so she makes her way over towards where it is coming from, the couch. The closer she gets the more she notices to the light yellow sheet draped over the back of the couch and the corners of a pillow at one end. Her eyebrows furrow as she walks around to the front of the couch and finds Santana sprawled rather uncomfortably on their couch.

Santana is on her stomach with one arm hanging off of the couch her fingers barely grazing the wooden floor. Her other arm is tucked under the pillow while her legs are in some strange position similar to that of a stripper on a pole which garners a quirked eyebrow from the brunette.

Rachel takes a seat on the coffee table and stares at the Latina as her lips move and small jumbles of Spanish words come tumbling out of her mouth. Now the brunette was never good in Mr. Schu's Spanish class but from what she can recall it sounds a lot like Santana said something about a dog. Her head tilts to the side as she continues to watch her friend sleeping in curiosity. She jumps when Santana jumps, possibly a dream that startled her from her slumber and her eyes open slightly.

"Morning." Rachel whispers cautiously. Santana opens her eyes more and glares at the diva sitting posture perfect in front of her. She groans at the feeling of being awake and also at the sight of Rachel Berry.

"Ugh, what are you doing?" She grunts, turning onto her side letting her arm slide out from under the pillow. "Aren't you gonna be late for your shift at the chocolate factory?" Rachel rolls her eyes, clearly not all that surprised that the Latina can find some snarky comment right after waking up.

"What are _you_ doing?" Rachel inquires motioning towards the length of the couch. "Why are you sleeping on the couch?" Santana looks back up at her, sits up and sighs before looking down at her hands. Rachel can't help it, it comes out before she realizes it, but she laughs and Santana's head snaps up glare firmly in place. "Brittany made you sleep on the couch? What the hell did you do?" Santana shrugs, kicking her legs out to bring her feet to the ground.

"We had a disagreement." She mutters under her breath but obviously being the only other person in the room Rachel hears her.

"I see." She nods and leans back a little sitting up straighter than before. "Well I would say welcome to the doghouse but judging from the e-mail I received from Quinn this morning I'd say you're in there all alone." She pushes herself up from the coffee table and heads to the kitchen with Santana gaping at her the whole way.

"What the fu- how the hell are you out of the dog house? You lied and shit." Santana exclaims, turning in her spot on the couch and leaning over the back to stare at Rachel. "I tell the truth and I get banished to the couch, shit is whack." She hands her head over the back of the couch totally over watching Rachel make herself breakfast.

"I am going to choose to ignore your insults and trash talk and simply enjoy the fact that Quinn has chosen to forgive me and that she told me she is still in love with me." Rachel says, reaching up above the sink in the cabinet to grab the coffee and coffee filter.

"Gag me with a sharp implement." Santana fake gags and crawls over the back of the couch not so gracefully landing onto her feet. "I guess she was bound to give into you sooner or later. You are kind of annoying when you're all persistent and shit."

"You curse a lot in the morning." The brunette points out, looking over her shoulder at Santana who is hanging around the entrance of the kitchen.

"Fuck off." Santana smirks back at her before glancing down the hallway, her features softening.

"You should probably go in there and apologize." Rachel tells her pulling her attention back towards the kitchen.

"Why do you assume it's me who has to apologize?" Santana questions, her voice raising an octave and her arms crossing over her chest. Rachel shakes her head and chuckles before turning to fully face the Latina.

"Because Santana, _you_ were the one on the couch and that is usually a tell tale sign of someone being in the wrong. So stop pretending that you don't have some groveling to do and just get in there and get it done." She points down the hall towards the couple's bedroom and steps forward to nudge Santana in the direction. "And apologies usually start off with 'I'm sorry'." She grins at her friend who turns just enough back around to give her the finger.

She stops in front of the door and it's still closed just as it was last night in her face. Her hand reaches for the door knob but she's nervous. She opens her mouth thinking that maybe if she calls the blonde's name she may just come and answer the door this way Santana herself would not have to go through the awkwardness of entering the room unsure if she is welcome.

With a deep breath she places one hand on the wood of the door and wraps the other hand around the door knob, turning it ever so carefully. She takes a few slow steps inside making enough room between her and the door to shut it behind her before she looks up to see Brittany. The blonde is sitting up in bed with her back against the headboard, her knees up against her chest and her stare focused on the window.

Santana glances to the window, it's open and the wind is making the curtains flow in different directions. She shivers and realizes that it's on the brink of winter and windows should not be open. She quickly moves over to the side of the bed to pull the window down and locks the top of it. Santana looks over her shoulder to find that the blonde's eyes have moved from the window and are now staring at a patch of fabric on their comforter.

Without words or even an invitation Santana turns around and moves to sit by the blonde's feet, reaching out to grab her ankle over the covers. She squeezes, hoping to get her attention or at least some sort of response. All she gets is a sigh.

"Do you really not trust me?" Brittany finally breaks their very uncomfortable silence with her small voice. Santana's eyebrows rise up to her hairline and her jaw drops.

"Brittany." She says and shakes her hand that is still gripping the blonde's ankle. "Brittany look at me" It takes a few moments, clearly Brittany is debating on whether to comply to her girlfriend's request but she eventually gives in and looks up at Santana. "I trust you. I do, I trust you with my life. I trust you with my heart." Her head tilts to the side as she admits to Brittany just how much she truly does trust her. The fact that she trusts her with her heart she hopes will make the blonde understand.

"But last night, you made it seem like you didn't and I just…" She tears her eyes away from Santana's, small tears forming at the corners and the Latina's initial reaction is to reach out and cup her girlfriend's cheek.

"Britt, I'm sorry about last night. I really am, I'm just... that guy he's a tool. I don't want him near you." Santana tries to explain but even her voice is wavering and Brittany's sniffling is doing nothing to help.

"I already told you that I'm the only person you need to trust here, I can take care of it myself." Brittany tells her.

"No you can't!" Santana yells in frustration and her hand drops from Brittany's cheek to come to her own face and try to muffle the sobs that have come thundering through her body. Brittany jumps back startled at the sudden emotions coursing through her girlfriend and she reaches out tentatively to her. "I'm sorry I yelled at you last night, I'm sorry I was mean or whatever but Britt, baby, it sucks that I wasn't there to not let that happen." She lets herself fall into Brittany's arms and openly cry into her chest. The blonde rubs her back smoothly as she continues to let it all come out in the form of tears.

"Santana, there's nothing either one of us could have done to see that coming and even if we did it probably still would have happened." Brittany rationalizes, pressing a kiss to her girlfriend's forehead. "Besides, nothing happened. It was barely even a kiss really so, there's no reason to get this upset." Santana's tears stop and she gathers herself together. She clears her throat and pulls back a little to look deeply into the blonde's eyes.

"I know nothing _really _happened but the fact that it almost did…" She looks away shaking her head and Brittany can see her chest tighten and knows she is holding back more tears. "If," Santana looks up again, into blue eyes. "If anything were to ever happen to you, like that or… or anything I don't know what I would do. And if me being a bitch and telling you I don't want him around you and you should tell your teacher, if you think that I'm wrong then… then I'm okay with being wrong. I don't care as long as you're safe." She reaches out to tuck some blonde hair behind her ear and Brittany smiles grabbing Santana's hand and leaning into it with her cheek. "Even if it means I have to sleep on the couch." She tries to laugh but she is still so very sad and a little scared of the possibilities of that situation.

"You really are a piece of work you know that?" Brittany shakes her head, her smile growing as she watches her statement sink into the Latina's mind. "And I love you when you're bitchy and defending my honor, it's all kind of hot." She pulls her girlfriend closer to her until Santana is awkwardly situated between her girlfriend's legs, on her own hands and knees. "I was up all night." Brittany admits, looking away for a moment a biting her lip. "I thought about everything and if I was in your position." Santana waits patiently. "And, I decided that you were right, you _are_ right. I should tell Bernie before it's too late. There may be other girl's Jason has tried this with and even if there isn't," She shrugs. "I don't want this to be something we fight over." Santana nods, a small smile playing at her lips and she leans in for a sweet, chaste kiss.

"The only good thing about fighting is the making up part." Santana mumbles onto Brittany's lips. The blonde smiles and then squeals when Santana pulls at her legs getting her slide down the headboard and into a lying position on the bed.

"But what about Rachel?" Brittany asks, turning her head towards the door as the Latina kisses up and down her neck.

"She is in some Quinn /e-mail love haze." Santana tells her in between kisses.

"But, weren't we supposed to try and have breakfast together this morning." The blonde reminds her thus getting a sigh of frustration and no more lips on her neck.

"Seriously B?" Brittany smiles, one of those 'I'm sorry but yeah we totally have to do this thing first' smiles and then she nods. "Ugh, fine. Let's get this over with quick." The blonde giggles and jumps up from the bed pulling her girlfriend along with her. "Wait, just so we're on the same page, I don't have to sleep on the couch tonight right?" Brittany rolls her eyes and shakes her head, not even bothering to give a response.

* * *

><p>Breakfast went a lot better than any of the girls could have anticipated. Rachel had switched back into her normal, blabbering self, going on and on about the positive effects of musical theater for young adults and pre-teens while slowly grating on Santana's nerves. So it's safe to say things are pretty much back to normal.<p>

Brittany suckered her girlfriend into doing the dishes while she straightened up their room being all too well aware that if it were the other way around she would have come back to find the room in a possible worse state. As she's tossing the pillows back onto the bed to move to the clothes that had seemed to find shelter under their desk she can feel the presence of another. She looks over her shoulder while she's bending down to retrieve a week's worth of Santana's laundry to find Rachel standing in the doorway staring down at the spot she is standing in.

"You can come in ya know." Brittany says knocking the brunette back into reality. Rachel looks up to meet sparkling blue eyes and smiles sheepishly.

"Sorry." She sighs with amusement. "Just kind of in my own head these days." Brittany offers her a small smile, standing straight up with all of her girlfriend's clothes in her arms and blows some stray hairs from her face.

"I know." Brittany replies knowledgably. It's not really a secret that the diva has been living in her own world for the past two weeks. "But it's better right? I mean you said at breakfast that Quinn has forgiven you." Rachel nods, making her way deeper into the room and settling at the foot of the couple's bed.

"Yeah, I know." She sighs once more and twists her lips in thought. "It's just… I guess I've been putting myself in her position these days and I would have gotten so much more upset and angry and… I don't know that I would have handled it the same way she did." Rachel tries her best to explain the inner workings of her mind as of recent but Brittany nods nonetheless and drops the clothes by the door before coming back to Rachel and taking a seat next to her.

"But that's kind of the reason why you guys work. You are Rachel and she is Quinn." The blonde offers shrugging her body like this is the most obvious answer in the world to an unasked question. "I mean," She continues upon seeing her friend's confusion. "Like Santana and I, she's crazy and I'm not." Rachel has to stifle a laugh because anyone who met the two would definitely say the opposite but from being around them for so long and so much she completely gets what Brittany is saying. "She's bossy and I'm go with the flow." The diva smiles at her friend's ability to make her feel better. "But I mean don't get me wrong, we all know who's really in charge." She smirks, pointing to herself finally getting an audible laugh from the brunette. "We're _so_ different right down to our hair color but, we work in spite of it. And I think you and Quinn have a similar thing going on." Brittany lets her smug smirk fade and her lips soften into a smile and she reaches her hand out to give Rachel's knee a gentle squeeze.

"You're really a great friend Brittany." Rachel tells her and pulls her into a tight hug.

"I know, I'm kind of amazing."

* * *

><p>"Hello?"<p>

"Don't _hello_ me like you don't know who it is." Santana scoffs, switching the phone from hand to the other as she jumps over the back of the couch to take a seat.

"This kind of sounds like some girl I heard of that spent the night on the couch. You could not possibly be her." Quinn mocks into the receiver and she laughs because she can only imagine the look on her best friends face right now.

"You're a real fuckin' riot Fabray." Santana rolls her eyes, throwing her feet up onto the coffee table trying desperately to bring the remote control closer to her without having to exert herself.

"I do what I can." The blonde sing songs only giving the Latina more of reason to be irritated this morning.

"Whatever Berry lover." She spits back. "What's the deal with that anyway Q?"

"We worked things out I guess." Quinn offers and Santana can hear her shrug her shoulders through the phone.

"Clearly ass, but I mean are you okay I guess is really my question." The Latina rephrases her line of questioning.

"Oh, yeah I mean, I'm better. School's going good, I see Kurt a lot and he's keeping me occupied because him and Sam are having issues with their long distance too." Quinn informs her friend, rattling off a few reasons as to why Kurt and Sam are on the outs. "So hearing their stuff kind of makes me feel a whole lot better, they are way more messed up than me and Rach."

"Gotcha."

"So why the fuck_ were_ you on the couch S, I mean you must have done something pretty shitty for Britt-Britt to make you sleep there." The blonde points out and Santana nods in half agreement.

"I kind of blew up at her over this TA business. I put my foot down and told her that I was very uncomfortable with her still taking classes with him teaching or whatever." She explains vaguely but to the point. "Because seriously, who wouldn't be a little pissed off here?"

"I am totally on your side S, no need to start a speech to get me there." Quinn interjects whole heartedly.

"Well apparently Brittany was not happy that I was annoyed by it and, well, whatever. It's over, we made up and I think she's going to tell her teacher." She sighs, finally giving up on the remote by her ankle, it's just too far. "So, I guess we'll see what happens."

"Yeah, we'll see." The blonde nods to herself seeing as she is in the same boat of waiting to see what happens with everything.

* * *

><p>"I don't get it." Rachel says, her eyes squinting at the television screen in confusion rather than the light being too bright or her vision not being one hundred percent. She glances to her right where her friends are sitting and they are too involved in the program to spare a look at the brunette. "I mean, they just go around to different places buying storage bins and containers and what not in 'hopes' that they can find <em>junk<em> to sell to other people." She explains out loud, more to herself rather than to the pair beside her. "And all they do is make their money back. This show is stupid." The screen freezes and then two pairs of eyes are suddenly on her. "What?"

"If you must continue on breaking rule number one, 'talking/breathing too loud during one of our shows' I'm going to have to pause this shit every two seconds. Now pipe down or I'm gonna have to cut you." Santana leans over Brittany to glare at the diva. "Oh and also, this show is not stupid, you're stupid."

"Wow Santana, your wit astounds me." Rachel rolls her eyes, letting a heavy sigh tumble out and she leans her cheek in her hand.

"This show is amazing, they buy these storage facilities and a lot of the time they find timeless artifacts that can be sold for so much money." Brittany interjects, pointing at the television.

"If they're still in good condition." Santana adds, letting herself relax into the back of the couch once again. Brittany smiles at her girlfriend then turns back to Rachel to nod in agreement.

"And when they find those amazing things they can make back triple of what they had actually spent. I'd say it's quite lucrative." The blonde finishes, bringing her head to lean onto Santana's shoulder. Rachel eyes the dancer up, curiosity and confusion written all over her face.

"Brittany do you even know what lucrative means?" Rachel questions.

"Berry, don't push it." The Latina's voice comes from the other side of the blonde and makes the well spoken diva slump further into the couch. "Now shh so I can gets my Storage Wars on."

Just as she presses play on their DVR the landline rings but the couple just ignores it, tuning it out like they try to do to Rachel. The brunette looks at them and huffs when she realizes neither one of them is going to get up and excuses herself even though she knows that Santana nor Brittany will notice.

"Hello?"

"Is this a new thing? I thought house phones were a thing of the past." A soft feminine and familiar voice comes through on the other end. Rachel is shocked at first, but a smile soon takes over and she rushes down the hallway and sneaks into her bedroom.

"Quinn." She breathes out, carefully taking a seat at the top of her bed. "How… wh… hey." Quinn giggles slightly, it sound comfortable and awkward at the same time, but Rachel does her best to not put too much thought into what a laugh can mean.

"Hey." The blonde replies and this time Rachel can hear the smile behind her voice. "I hope I'm not interrupting you studying or anything."

"Oh, no not at all. I was just watching Britt and Santana watch some stupid TV show." She explains which garners another bit of laughter from her girlfriend. She grins, shaking her head realizing something she hadn't realized she missed so much. "God, I miss your laugh." Quinn's laughter subsides and ends out with a slow hum. "I'm sorry." She backtracks. Yes, they are still very much together but she is suddenly overcome with the fear that it is too soon to get back into their sweet and romantic pleasantries.

"Rachel," Quinn saying her name makes her all kinds of nervous her stomach is doing flip flops. "I miss your smile." Rachel lets out a breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding on to and her cheeks feel like they are ready to pop off of her face that's how hard she's smiling. "And I miss _your _laugh, eyes, lips and… well, everything else." Quinn says the last part in a lower more sultry voice that gets Rachel's heart pumping more out of arousal than out of nervousness.

"You have no idea, no idea how much I miss waking up and having you next to me." She sighs, lying down on her back and staring up at the ceiling.

"Trust me Rach, I really do." Rachel can hear the strain in her voice and it's comforting to know she is not alone in this sexual frustration she's been living in for the past three months. "So, I was thinking that, with Thanksgiving coming up next week and, well, you're still coming over right?" It is nice to know that Quinn is just as nervous as Rachel to a certain extent, the line of questioning coming out tentatively and unsure.

"I want to." The diva tells her in a quiet voice.

"Good, cause I want you to come." She takes a small breath before continuing, as though trying to gain the strength to her words. "So here's the thing, we had our, issue or whatever and I really don't want Thanksgiving to be the first time we see each other after everything. We'd be weird, then our parents would be awkward, your dad's will probably ask questions and to be honest I don't want to talk about it anymore." Rachel bites her bottom lip and nods as her girlfriend continues on this mini rant of hers. "So what I was wondering, or suggesting or proposing I guess is that I could grab a flight next Tuesday morning to New York and then we can drive here on Wednesday." She can hear Quinn take a sharp breath in and she figures she is most likely holding it in as the brunette mulls over this information.

"Wait," Rachel stops in mid thought and mid answer. "Drive back to Lima? In what? Are you renting a car?" She asks as she turns on her side and plays with the fringe on her throw pillow.

"Umm, if you call taking Santana's truck renting a car then yeah." Quinn's amused tone gets a small giggle from the diva. "I mean, it's not like I can make that thing look any worse. I'm sure if I crashed it it would look a whole hell of a lot better." She points out.

"Agreed, but I think they are going back to Lima for Thanksgiving too. Santana's mother was not too keen on them not being home for the holiday." She shrugs.

"Well, whatever, we can hitch a ride with them. We're all small girl's, four of us can totally fit in that P.O.S." Quinn decides. "I'll talk to Santana, actually no, I'll talk to Brittany she'll talk to Santana."

"Okay."

"Okay? Like for real?" Quinn needs to make sure that this sudden trip will be fine with her girl. She knows she needs it and knowing that Rachel needs it too will definitely make things go a lot smoother when they see each other for the first time in almost a month.

"Of course. The sooner I see you the better Quinn. Seriously, I need to see you like now." Rachel groans into the receiver, her sexual repression getting the best of her. "Like really bad." Quinn chuckles loudly, not even trying to hold it back.

"Well, well Ms. Berry. Sounds like someone's horny." Rachel's jaw drops and she quickly looks to her door to make sure it's closed in fear that one of her friends could have heard Quinn.

"Quinn Fabray!" She scolds in a hushed voice.

"What? I know _I_ am." Rachel shakes her head at the sweet and innocent tone her girlfriend is using, which does not help _anything _going on in her body right now.

Back in the living room Santana lifts her arm up, remote in hand, and shuts the television off. Brittany's head is still resting on her shoulder and she turns to place a kiss to the top of her head. The blonde lets out a content sigh and snuggles closer against the Latina's body to which Santana wraps her arm tighter around Brittany's waist.

"You wanna go to bed?" Santana asks in a whisper, not wanting to speak too loud in case the blonde was almost in dream land. But Brittany is awake and she slowly shakes her head.

"No, not yet. Can we just sit here for a little bit?" She tosses her arm across Santana's stomach, raising her t-shirt just enough to play with the skin underneath. Santana breathes out, humming as she shifts her cheek onto the other girl's head.

"Sure." She continues to turn her head and place small kisses here and there against Brittany's hair while tickling her side.

"I'm sorry I made you sleep here last night." Brittany whispers after a few minutes of comfortable silence. "But you needed to learn your lesson." Santana can sense a smirk playing on Brittany's lips.

"_Oh Brittany, _I _love _it when you _punish _me." The Latina replies in a dramatic tone, bringing her free hand to her chest to emphasize her words. Brittany shakes her head, lifting it from her girlfriend's shoulder giving her a good hard look, trying her best to fight the grin on her face.

"Do you have to make e_verything_ dirty?" Brittany asks, clearly already knowing the answer but finding it amusing to ask nonetheless. Santana twists her lips in thought for a brief moment, looking to the ceiling as though really searching for the answer. Then she smirks, quirks an eyebrow and looks right at Brittany.

"Yep." She squeezes the blonde's side gently and scoots her butt to the edge of the couch. "Come on babe let's go to bed so you can punish me some more." She pulls Brittany up with her and drags a laughing blonde down the hallway and into their bedroom.


	11. Chapter 11

**_happy friday! :) thanks you all for your reviews they really do mean a lot. _**

**_chapter 11 is served_**

**_read and review... _**

* * *

><p>"I don't understand why we're here." Santana sighs and grunts and like a two year old, stomps her foot a tiny bit. With her head tilted up to the ceiling she lets out a groan of complete displeasure. Normally, she likes shopping, loves it even. Totally and without question loves it, but only when it's about her obviously. Today she is not feeling it because she has become Brittany's servant with two bags in each hand, the blonde's bag on her shoulder with her own on the other and an empty stomach to top it off. She is not a happy camper. "You've already picked out three outfits why are we still shopping?" She brings her head back down to glare at Brittany only to realize her girlfriend has moved on to the next rack of clothes a little further away from her.<p>

"Those are possible outfits and by the way, _I'm_ shopping you're complaining." Brittany comments, looking up from a top in her hand to give her girl a smirk.

"Babe, you look amazing in all of these. So can we go now, I'm so hungry." Santana pouts and her shoulders shake as she does her best crocodile tears face but all this gets out of the blonde is a laugh. "It's not funny, I'm gonna waste away to nothing and then you're going to be going to Lima all by yourself for Thanksgiving. I mean, _what_ are you going to tell my parents?" She exaggerates as she steps in front of the girl and leans onto the clothing rack.

"I'm sure they'll be fine." Brittany shrugs her shoulders, beaming at the Latina whose mouth drops and eyes widen. "I mean, you _do _always complain about having a stomach ache after dinner and then eat _all_ the pecan pie. I'm sure they'll get over you not being there. It's kind of a win win." She pokes her girlfriend's side and walks around her to go to the wall where a few shirts are that have caught her eye.

"Brittany Susan Pierce!" Santana says loudly and stalks over to where the blonde has relocated. "I'll have you know that I only eat all the pecan pie because _you_ always bring it over and I'm always afraid no one will eat it because they'll think you made it." It's the blonde's turn to have her mouth hang open and she feigns hurt feelings, bringing her hand to her chest. Santana puts on a smirk and shrugs her shoulders just as Brittany had before.

"First of all Lopez, I am not that bad of a cook, now." She gives her best diva head jerk and sticks her tongue out. "And second of all, no one knows how the pecan pie is because _you_ eat it all!" She puffs out her cheeks, the Brittany/Santana international sign for 'you're a fat ass' and Santana gasps. She watches as Brittany turns around and finds a new bunch of clothes to go through and she soon moves from her spot to stand beside her.

"Okay, whatever, I'm totally over the fat joke but, I still don't get it why are we here? Why do you need a new outfit?" She whines, switching the bags from one hand to the other trying to get the circulation flowing once again through her fingers.

"Because this is the _first_ Thanksgiving." Brittany says as though the answer should be clear enough for her to not even have to explain herself. Santana quirks an eyebrow, opens her mouth, closes it, opens it again and then shuffles from foot to foot.

"Britt, you _do_ know the first Thanksgiving was with the pilgrims and the Indians right?" She turns her head a little to the left, but keeping her curious eyes on the blonde in front of her. Brittany sighs and rolls her eyes, her hands continuing to mill through the different tops.

"Duh, I know that Santana." Brittany settles her hands on the rack and leans towards her girlfriend looking into those brown eyes. "It's just," Her eyes focus on something beyond Santana for a moment but return as quickly to brown eyes as they had left. "This is the first Thanksgiving with our families, together and… I want it to be perfect. So, it's kind of a big deal for me. Okay?" She smiles softly before turning her back to the Latina and heads to the back of the store leaving Santana dazed and confused.

The dark haired girl finds herself grinning like an idiot, a small but comforting knot building in her stomach and butterflies in her chest. Or maybe the knot is in her chest and the butterflies are in her stomach, it doesn't matter all she knows is that her girlfriend never ceases to amaze her. So instead of following the blonde to the back of the store and complaining some more, she walks to the other side of the store to find herself a new outfit for her and Brittany's first official Thanksgiving.

* * *

><p>Rachel is standing in JFK by the terminal nervous as all hell with sweaty palms continuously in need of being rubbed onto her thighs or back pockets. Her eyes flicker every time someone with blonde hair catches her attention only to be let down and semi relieved that it is not Quinn. After the first phone call a few days ago, they kept coming. Quinn would call or she'd call and it was great, it was getting better and back to how it was before.<p>

But, she can't help but wonder how things are going to be when they are finally reunited. Is it going to be weird if Rachel kisses her? What if she goes in for a kiss and Quinn snubs her by turning so the diva gets her cheek instead of her lips? What if she doesn't even want a hug or any form of physical contact? All of these thoughts and questions keep flying through her mind that she's so concerned she will miss Quinn coming through the gates.

"Rachel." She hears the sweet voice of the girl she has been missing like crazy her face completely erases the fear and anxiety she has been feeling since the news of Quinn coming to New York.

She looks up and sees the blonde, smiling which is a good sign, with her Cheerio's duffel bag over her shoulder and waving like crazy as she speed walks in the brunette's direction. Rachel picks up on her fast paced movements and breaks out into a slight jog in hopes of meeting up with her girlfriend as soon as possible. And when they get within arm's length of one another they don't stop like Rachel had feared. They only come to a halt when they're bodies smash into each other and they only stay up thanks to the arms wrapping around them.

"Oh my god I've missed you." Quinn whispers into Rachel's ear, letting her lips brush the skin just below. Her arms squeeze tighter around the diva's neck, clearly not wanting to let go anytime soon.

"I love you so much Quinn." Rachel replies slightly louder, her mouth breathing heavily into the blonde's ear but instead of squeezing in return she pulls back to look at the other girl's face. "I love you." She repeats and Quinn nods slowly, her eyes moving from eyes to lips before slowly leaning in and pressing hers to Rachel's for a sweet kiss. It's a peck really but it's enough to put the brunette at ease for the time being and when Quinn breaks away from it she rests her forehead against Rachel's and they smile at one another.

* * *

><p>"Oh yeah, I guess we didn't really think about that." Santana looks down at their kitchen table to the crossword puzzle Brittany has been working on since she's been on the phone with her mother. "I'm sure that Britt's parents will be cool with us staying at their house." She suggests, glancing to her girlfriend who shrugs and nods at the idea.<p>

"Santana, I haven't seen you since you left. Why can't you sleep on the pull out in the basement and Brittany can go home and sleep?" Mrs. Lopez likes her idea so much better but judging from Santana's scrunched nose and her tongue sticking out she does not approve this message.

"Mama, what's the big deal? Me and Britts will sleep at the Pierce's and come over for breakfast in the morning." She explains not quite ready to give in to her mother's requests.

"You two sleep together every night, one night apart won't kill you. You know the both of you can sleep on the pullout, you've done it before." Her mother's foot is down, Santana knows this tone of voice. "I miss my baby girl."

"Fine, fine. We'll sleep on the pullout." She sighs, rolls her eyes and takes a seat next to her girlfriend at the kitchen table.

"Okay, I'll go set it all up for you." Mrs. Lopez voice changes from upset and angry to loving and ecstatic in 2.2 seconds.

"Great." Santana plays excited just to make the woman happy and this gets her a soft slap on the arm from the blonde who mouths 'Santana' in the way that if her voice were actually being used it would sound pretty stern. "I can't wait to see you Mama." She smiles genuinely and nods when her mother says it back.

"What's with all of the switching and swapping of where we're sleeping?" Brittany asks when she hears the beep to the phone ending the call.

"I guess we both kind of forgot that the bed from my house… is in our bedroom." She grins and points to the hall that leads to their bedroom and Brittany laughs.

"Oh yeah, that would have sucked if your Mother didn't remind us." Instead of filling out the crossword puzzle she continues to decorate the page with her signature. Santana's eyes fall down to the pen gliding across the paper and reads the words to herself in the hot purple ink. Her head tilts to the side and she grins when she realizes what it says.

"Brittany Pierce-Lopez?" She reads it out loud and Brittany's head snaps up but once she reads the playfulness on Santana's face she relaxes back into her seat. She nods a little and shrugs her shoulders, turning the page to a different angle for more writing.

"Or Lopez-Pierce or just Lopez or…" Brittany's voice trails off at the end and turns her face to fully be hovering over the table and her writing, feeling her cheeks turning deep red. Santana giggles and reaches out for the pen in the blonde's hand.

"I always thought that this looked nice." The Latina says softly, only meant to be heard by them and she scribbles a few words on the other side of the page. She looks at it proudly before placing the pen down and twisting the page for Brittany to see.

"Santana and Brittany Lopez." Brittany reads, a small smile playing on her lips and her blush turning into a tinge of pink rather than the harsh red it was. She stares at it for a few more moments and then brings her eyes back up to meet Santana's. "Yeah, me too." She bites her lower lip bashfully letting her gaze fall back down onto the paper to her girlfriend's handwriting of their names put together in that way. It makes her stomach do all kinds of flip flops and she can't stop smiling.

Santana sits there and watches a wave of emotions run through her girlfriend's body. She can sense this by the way her face is lit up and the way she is smiling, it's not really hard to tell what's going on. Plus, everything going on inside of Brittany is most definitely going on inside of Santana and for that moment in time nothing else really exists except the two of them.

"Hey babe?" Santana reaches out, grabbing Brittany's hand to get her attention.

"Hmm?" Brittany, still grinning from ear to ear, looks up to her girlfriend.

"I… I gotta, I just gotta run to the store." She blurts out so quickly she has already forgotten what she said. Brittany nods regardless and goes back to her doodling while Santana jumps from her chair, presses a kiss to the blonde's temple, grabs her coat and bolts out the door.

* * *

><p>"Santana let you borrow the truck to come and get me?" Quinn asks getting a confirming nod and smile from the brunette. "I'm impressed, how'd you pull that one off?" She grins back at her girlfriend who has so chivalrously taken her bag to carry while they walk through the parking lot.<p>

"I simply repeated what you had said." The diva says matter of factly. "I told her that I could crash that thing and it would probably make it more attractive." Quinn laughs, covering her mouth to not seem over enthusiastic about it. "Okay so I adlibbed a little." With her laughter now under control Quinn takes this moment to lean over and place a gentle kiss onto Rachel's cheek catching the diva offguard.

"What?" The blonde quirks an eyebrow.

"Nothing, it's just…"

"You thought that since we haven't seen each other in forever and after everything I wouldn't want to be close to you?" Quinn inquires her smile fading and her face looking sadder and sadder by the second. Rachel looks down at their joined arms and nods slowly.

"Yeah." Quinn stops them, right in the middle of the parking lot and steps in front of Rachel so they are face to face.

"Rachel… I was mad, angry, sad… _so_ many things and nothing too. I didn't want to be any of those things at you but I wanted to be all of those things at you." She says loudly, small tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "But, it doesn't matter because no matter what I felt then I still loved you regardless. I love you now, then, before, after…" She rambles, smiling through her sad face. "Don't _stop_ being the _you_ I fell in love with, don't stop wanting to touch me because I _want_ to touch you. Kiss me cause _I want_ to kiss you!" She yells the last part, her voice echoing into the distance.

Rachel and Quinn stand there, staring at each other, eyes flickering from side to side looking deeply in both eyes. It only takes a half of a minute until Rachel reaches up to cup Quinn's cheeks and lean in to press their lips together. It's soft at first, Quinn breathes out in relief and her hands come up to grip around the diva's wrists as though to keep her hands there on her cheeks.

Quinn steps closer, as does Rachel and soon the kiss intensifies to opened mouths and tongues exploring territory they once knew so well and are getting reacquainted with. They sigh and hum and smile into the kiss. Their hands move from cheeks to arms to hands to waists and they pull each other closer. And it's there in the JFK short term parking lot that the couple reconnects. Letting the bad out and the good in.

* * *

><p>"Where the hell have you been?" Quinn asks without much concern just a playful smirk as she looks to the door that has been swung open by none other than Santana Lopez. Santana jumps back a little, slightly startled to find her blonde friend sitting on her sofa, reading a magazine.<p>

"Uh, hey to you too sunshine." She chuckles at their informalities especially considering how long it's been since they have actually seen each other. She unbuttons her coat, shaking it out of some snow that has covered it thoroughly as well as shaking the cold out of her bones. "It's really coming down out there." She juts her thumb over her shoulder obviously referring to outside and not out in the hallway. Quinn nods, slowly returning her focus to the magazine in her hand.

"Okay, snow, cold and white. Got it." The blonde mocks her friend's information before turning back to her and resting the magazine on her lap. "Besides playing in the city streets slowly filling with snow, where have you been? I got in like three hours ago waiting for a welcoming committee, not that Brittany didn't pick up the slack for you, but seriously Santana…" She shakes her head, clearly amusing only herself and lets her words simply hang in the air subject to interpretation.

"I had shit to do Q." Santana brushes her friend off, hangs her coat up and then holds up a plastic bag. "Some last minute essentials for our stupid road trip and semi vacation in Lima." She rolls her eyes and tosses the bag on the coffee table, steps over Quinn's legs and takes a seat beside her.

"Anything good? Did you get snacks?" The blonde asks curiously, eyeing the bag up but doesn't feel the need to rummage through her friend's goods.

"No I did not get snacks you fat ass." She slaps Quinn playfully and reaches for the bag, obviously preparing them for a short show and tell. "We've got travel toothbrushes because we can just toss em afterwards." She shakes the little pink and purple travel sized goodies in the air before throwing them onto the table and reaches in for something else. "Small to go containers for Britts face wash because I am not about to let her shove it in my bag and have it explode all over my clothes, again." She places the clear bottles and little zippy bag it comes in beside the toothbrushes. "Tampons just in case, a small lint brush, lip gloss, a pack of nail files and some lube." Quinn nods a few times until the last word sinks in and she shakes her head and shuts her eyes before opening them wide again.

"Lube?" She asks in a soft whisper and reaching out to grab it from Santana's finger tips.

"Yeah, lube." Santana replies.

"What the hell do you need lube for? You're going to be sleeping on the pullout couch at Lopez manor." Quinn points out chucking the small container back to her friend and Santana smirks as she slowly puts everything back into the plastic bag.

"Quinn my poor, poor friend. Do we need to have _'the talk'_?" She laughs out loud, getting a slap on the arm from Quinn herself.

"I can't believe you're bringing lube to your Mother's house." Quinn shakes her head but really, she's not at all surprised that Santana _would_ bring lube to her Mother's house. In fact, she's almost certain that Santana has lube in her bag 24/7.

"You never know when you may need it. Better safe than sorry." Santana shrugs and ties the plastic bags handles into an easily undoable knot.

"It's your _Mother's_ house Santana." The blonde reiterates, her eyes widening to emphasize the meaning of it all.

"Listen Virgin Quinnie, I'm sure you and the Muppet are planning on being celibate when we get to Lima or whatever it is you do when you're not having sex. But Britt's and I get it on, it's fact." She explains in a casual fashion. "And what's even more of a fact is that my Mother knows we get it on." Quinn cringes at the open way Santana can use the words 'sex' and 'Mother' in the same sentence.

"You're gross." Santana laughs and watches her friend's foot playfully kick the plastic bag of her traveling essentials and brings her magazine back up to her face.

"Hey," She looks around the apartment and finally realizes how quiet it has been since she got back home. "Where _are_ Brittany and your troll?" She inquires getting an elbow in the side from the blonde.

"They went to get stuff for dinner." Quinn answers not looking up from the article she had been reading. "And I'm pretty sure B said something about pecan pie or something like that." She adds and Santana smirks to herself and reaches for the remote control to turn on the television.

* * *

><p>"How were things when they got back?" Santana asks Brittany quietly, looking over her shoulder at the couple in question who are sitting on the couch making small talk and watching television. The blonde pauses from her chopping, sighs and glances over her and Santana's shoulders as well.<p>

"They're fine." She shrugs and goes right back to cutting up the vegetables.

"Hmm…" Santana hums out and shrugs as well, turning to watch her girlfriend's face as she prepares dinner. She smiles to herself watching Brittany concentrating hard at the task at hand and she steps behind her wrapping her arms around the blonde's waist. "You are so cute." She mumbles into Brittany's ear, letting her lips brush her earlobe and then places a soft kiss to the skin right below. Brittany smiles and lets her body lean back slightly into Santana.

"You know what would be even cuter?" She asks tilting her head, her eyes still focused on the cucumber she is slicing. "If you would help." She turns her head and smiles at her girlfriend who shakes her head and lets out a chuckle.

"Alright, alright but only if I get to wear a rad apron like you Britt." Santana steps back and walks over to the small closet in their kitchen that holds shelves and shelves of canned good as well as aprons hanging on a hook on the back of the door. Brittany stops slicing and rests her hands on the counter to watch her girlfriend tying the strings around her waist.

"Baby, don't mock the apron." She insists with a grin and Santana brings a hand to her own chest and bows her head as though apologizing for doing such a thing. Apron strings tied and hands washed Santana claps her hands and moves to stand beside Brittany.

"Okay, I am at your service Miss Pierce." Santana announces but before Brittany can respond she leans in a little closer and whispers, "One day Mrs. Lopez." She kisses the blonde on the cheek and reaches for the asparagus in front of them, lifting it up in question and with her cheeks tinted pink Brittany nods and motions with her hand to the tray on the stove.

On the couch Quinn smiles to herself, having watched most of the interaction taking place in the kitchen and feels at peace for the longest time. Seeing Brittany and Santana getting along so well is something she is used to seeing but it's not until now that she figures out she misses being here to witness their everyday kisses and glances and inside smiles and jokes.

She turns her attention back to the brunette sitting beside her to find Rachel glued to whatever program they have been watching. Her smile is still intact and she realizes she has been playing with her girlfriend's hair absentmindedly just as Rachel has been drawing lazy patterns on her hand. She misses everything. And everything she misses is right in this apartment at the same exact time.

* * *

><p>"Hasn't Brittany gotten so good at cooking?" Rachel looks to Quinn, a proud glimmer in her eye as she leans back comfortably in her chair. Quinn grins, nodding in agreement and turns to the blonde cook.<p>

"Honestly B, this was delicious." She motions to her plate that is clearly empty and the dishes in the center of the table that have barely anything left in them. Brittany blushes, nods and mutters her small thank you's.

"Hey, I helped." Santana chimes in with mock hurt, bringing her hand to her chest. But all this does is get a few laughs and she rolls her eyes. "Babe," She says jumping up from her chair and placing a hand on Brittany's wrist. "You stay put, I got this." She waves her hands over the table indicating for Brittany to get back in her seat and that she will clean up everything. "Why don't you guys go watch some TV or whatever." She dismisses the trio to the living room and gets a strange look from Quinn who is being ushered out of the kitchen by Rachel.

"Okay, who is this pod person? Where's the real Santana?" Quinn asks the two girls she is sitting with in front of the TV. Rachel giggles and all Brittany can do is look back into the other room and smile at her girlfriend.

"I know it's hard to believe, I mean I had the same look you do when I first witnessed it." Rachel begins to explain, pointing over her shoulder with her thumb to the Latina cleaning. "But whenever Brittany or I cook, Santana cleans up." She shrugs her shoulders and glances back to Santana who is washing the dishes thoroughly. "It scared me at first, but it has grown on me and now I kind of like it."

* * *

><p>"I can't get over how domesticated Brittany and Santana have become." Quinn shakes her head as she and Rachel walk down the hallway towards the brunette's bedroom. "I guess more Santana than Brittany really, Britt-Britt can adapt but Santana." Shocked she may be but she is proud just the same. It's nice for her to see her best friend being able to take on that responsible role of being able to survive without Mommy and Daddy and it makes her wonder how well she will be able to adjust. But she figures if Santana Lopez can do it, well then anyone surely can.<p>

"It's been interesting to say the least." Rachel comments but means nothing in particular by it and she motions for the blonde to enter her bedroom.

She watches Quinn walk over the threshold slowly and place her bag by the wall and glance around the room. She follows suit, stepping into her bedroom and shuts the door behind her, holding on to the door knob as if afraid letting go will make her fall over from nervousness. They both take in deep breathes and Rachel looks on as Quinn slowly turns around to face her. They smile tentatively and Quinn bites on her lower lip, her hands hanging by her sides like she doesn't know what to do with them.

Rachel finally lets go of the door knob and it forces her body to take a step forward which gets the blondes full attention. Eyes flicker to eyes then lips then to eyes again and lips once more until they are both rushing towards each other. Rachel's hands find the curvature of Quinn's hips and Quinn's hands come up to cup the diva's cheeks and they both lean in, tilting their heads to the side and finally bringing their lips together frantically.

Tongues join in and their breath mixes into the air as they continue to kiss, with a different force than they had at the airport. Quinn takes a step back pulling Rachel to move with her until they stop due to the blonde's legs hitting the edge of the bed. Her lips move from Rachel's mouth and down her jaw line and then to her neck where she sucks, nips and places wet kisses being egged on by the gasping noises coming from her girlfriend.

Rachel's fingers hook under the hem of Quinn's shirt, tickling the skin there for a moment until the blonde finally nods and lifts her arms. As soon as her shirt hits the floor Rachel's soon follows and her hands come up to the diva's sides, sliding her fingers up and down the exposed skin softly as if remembering the feeling all over again. She spins them around so that the brunette's back is facing the bed and she gently urges her to lie down.

"Quinn." Rachel breathes out heavily as she rests her head to the pillow, her hands grasping for the blonde's body and her eyes watching with haze as Quinn climbs onto the bed over her.

Quinn presses their lips together again and her hand moving up Rachel's sides once again and coming to rest just behind her neck and pulling so their lips press harder onto each other. The hum and gasp and moan as their bodies brush up against the other's and hands move around gripping at skin.

"Oh my god Rach." Quinn whispers, moving her lips from Rachel's and kissing down to her neck and across her collar bone and chest. "I _need_ you." The diva's hips cant up at the blonde's verbalized desire and she wraps her arms around Quinn bringing her body completely onto her own.

Quinn pulls back from her kissing and looks into Rachel's dark eyes and they stare at each other for a few moments. This is new, though the act itself is not entirely new to them all of the feelings _feel_ relatively new. It's different, better even and as fast as they want to go and dive head first they both want to take their time. So the blonde nods, places another kiss on her girlfriend's lips and sits up, straddling the brunette.

Rachel sits up as well, bringing her hands to rest on Quinn's hips to keep her balance. She brings her lips to the blonde's chest leaving small wet kisses along the skin there while Quinn brings her hands around Rachel to unhook her bra. When she finally does so she lets her finger tips lightly brush every bit of skin she can come in contact with. She slides the brunette's bra straps off of her shoulders, leaning down ever so much to kiss her bare shoulders lightly.

With her bra now removed, Quinn gently presses Rachel to lie back down, she complies and slowly brings her head back to rest on the pillow. Her fingers dance along the tiny protruding hip bones on the blonde just above her jeans but her eyes are fixed on the hands that disappear behind Quinn's back. When the hands return the striped bra falls from her shoulders and down the front of her body revealing her bare chest.

Rachel gasps for air and her hips move up of their own volition into the blonde on top of her. Quinn grins and lets the bra fall to the ground by the bed along with their shirts and Rachel's bra. Ever so carefully she brings her body down to lie completely on top of the brunette, running her fingers along her sides brushing against the outside of her breasts as she does so.

"Come on, get up." Quinn whispers into her ear and without waiting for a response she yanks her body right back off of Rachel's and tugs on her hand for her to do the same. Rachel sends her a questioning stare but in all honestly her legs are shaky and her brain is a little too frazzled to really care about the reasons why she is being made to stand up. "Come closer." She hooks her finger in the air to direct the diva where to move and she steps forward leaving about two feet between them.

Rachel watches as her girlfriend's hands move down to the top of her own jeans and starts to fiddle with the button there. Sensing her girlfriend's confusion Quinn nods her head towards Rachel's pants for her to do the same. She gets it eventually and her hands come to the top of her pants as well and she follows Quinn's lead. They stare at one another, watching pants be unbuttoned, the fly coming undone and the way the other shimmies out of the offending garment.

They smirk and smile and blush bashfully as they kick and step out of their jeans to reveal their panties. Quinn is the first to remove herself of the last bit of clothing and does so slowly leaving just enough time to get Rachel's heart really pumping, as if it weren't already. When she stands up straight she finds her girlfriend with a glazed over look in her eyes and her mouth slightly agape. She giggles and not having a clue with to do with her hands she decides to reach up and free her hair of its ponytail.

"You're beautiful." Rachel breathes out, her eyes locked into green ones and she swallows nervously. Quinn looks down for a moment, feeling the blush creeping up from her neck and to her cheeks. "Really Quinn, you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen." Quinn's head snaps up at the utter sincerity in the brunette's voice and she can see it on her face as well.

She takes the few steps forward that brings her body against Rachel's, letting her hands come up to find the diva's skin under her own. They both gasp and shudder at the feeling and their chests battle against one another beating fast and loud. Their faces are inches, if even, apart and they eyes continue to look deeply into the other. Quinn slips an arm between them, letting her fingers dance down Rachel's stomach and not even hesitating at the elastic band of the brunette's panties, pushing her hand right under.

"_Uh_." Rachel jumps at the forward but very welcome intrusion and her head flies back when she realizes Quinn is not stopping for anything, she's clearly 'going for gold', letting her fingers easily find and slip up and into Rachel. "_Oh, god._" The diva's hands fly up gripping Quinn's shoulders from behind and turning her face into the blonde's cheek.

"Hmph." Quinn grunts, beginning to thrust in and out of her girlfriend as soon as she enters her.

They stumble a little, side to side, forward to backward as they stay standing. But soon Quinn's need for a better angle and to be deeper inside her girlfriend becomes high on her list of priorities than balance and when they stumble again she lets them continue forward until Rachel's back is pressed up against the wall. She kisses her on the lips, the cheek and chin before she brings her other hand to the outside of Rachel's thigh and grips it.

"Lift your leg baby." Quinn whimpers with need and want and Rachel does it before she can really even process the words.

So with one hand hoisting Rachel's leg up and to the side she pumps the fingers of her other and in and out of her girlfriend and a quick pace, using her own hips to aide her efforts. Rachel whines, moans and grunts as the blonde thrusts in and out of her each time feeling her fingers go deeper and deeper inside of her. She desperately grips at Quinn's neck, her shoulder muscles and her biceps and frantically accepting all of the sloppily placed kisses the blonde offers.

"I love…" Rachel tries to say but her body won't allow her to use her voice. "I…" She pushes out but it's all raspy and inaudible. Quinn turns her head and kisses the diva's neck, her breath hitting Rachel's cheek as she doubles her efforts below.

"I know baby." It almost sounds like Quinn is crying, but she's not, she just has a lot of emotion going on but Rachel pulls back to look at her to make sure there are no tears. They lock eyes. "I… I love you… too Rach." She forces out of her mouth as she continues to pump in and out of her girlfriend.

"_Oh, uh!_" Rachel moans, throwing her head back against the wall, pulling Quinn's body flush against her own. "_I'm close_." She mutters and feels the blonde nod against her.

And when she comes, Quinn's name leaves her lips, her knees tremble and shake but she doesn't fear falling down to the ground because she has the blonde's arms wrapped around her ready to keep her upright to ride it out. She feels the soft wet lips on her neck before she opens her eyes and the smile even before that.

She moves her head for Quinn to look up at her and she does. The grin stupidly at one another and Quinn leans forward to rest her forehead against Rachel's. The brunette brings her hand up to tuck blonde hair behind her girlfriend's ear and let's her hands come to land on her cheeks. They both try to catch their breath and just bask in the moment of incredibleness they have just shared.

"There…" Quinn breathes out sounding all kinds of exhausted but with a playful smirk on her lips. "That'll teach Santana and Brittany." She winks and gets an equally tired but just as amused giggle from Rachel.

Were they loud? Maybe, but Brittany and Santana wouldn't really know because they are in their own little world. Santana couldn't sleep so she got up to watch television in the living room and was soon followed by the blonde she had left sound asleep. So she joined her girlfriend on the couch to watch some infomercials but that only lasted so long until hands and lips started to roam.

"Do you… know how pissed Berry will be if…" Santana struggles to use her words but it's so hard to do when Brittany's tongue is doing _that_. "She finds out about… this." She finally finishes her sentence but by now she doesn't even care about what has just said and she flings her arm over her eyes only to bring it down to her mouth to muffle the sounds coming out.

Santana is on her back, knees bent and Brittany's head between her legs. Her forearm remains clamped over her mouth while her other hand is squeezing desperately to the pillow she apparently is lying on. Brittany hums, in response to Santana's worries about Rachel but she doesn't care much either and simply kisses the inside of Santana's thigh to reassure her everything is okay.

The Latina's hips jerk up, needing more and more friction that Brittany is currently providing and she is doing her best not to grab the back of the blonde's head and press her face into her. One of Brittany's hands comes up to cup her girlfriend's breasts getting a loud moan from Santana in return. A darker skinned hand covers the lighter skinned hand and helps with the squeezing process, arching her back to push for a harder touch.

"_Oh _Brittany, right… there. _Uh_." Her hips have decided to move along to the motion set by the blonde and Santana continues to keep the pillow fisted in her hand and desperately trying to bite her lips to keep herself from screaming. "_Fuck!_" She practically yells, pulling her hand from the pillow and slapping it over her mouth.

When she finally comes her eyes dart down to the face buried between her legs. She seeks out those blue eyes, which is not so hard considering they have been watching her the whole time. Her mouth hangs open as she sucks in air and holds back her moans and screams of pleasure only to grunt out a few times from the back of her throat. Brittany knows when it's finally subsiding when the Latina closes her mouth and swallows dryly and the way her lips smack open and her tongue moves up and down to try and produce moisture.

She kisses her girlfriend's stomach and gently pulls the hem of her shirt back down to cover her chest. Brittany lies back on top of her with her ear to Santana's chest kissing the fabric now covering her previously bare skin. It only takes a few moments, seconds even until she hears the nonsensical ramblings of an exhausted Santana and she knows that she is going to pass out any minute.

Brittany gets up and tugs on Santana's hand and leads them back to their bedroom, to their bed and pulls the covers over them once again. Santana curls up behind her wrapping her arms protectively and lovingly around the blonde and kisses her neck right below her hair.

"You're so good at helping me get sleepy." She mumbles cuddling closer and kisses her neck again. "Love you boo." Brittany smiles and rubs Santana's arms that are around her.

"Love you too sweetie."


	12. Chapter 12

**_hey peeps! Chapter 12 in full effect! :)_**

**_i hope you like it. so read and review telling me all of your dirty secrets:) mwah_**

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><p>"What do you mean we're snowed in?" Rachel gulps, she hadn't really put much thought into the possibility of being stuck in New York on Thanksgiving but that's not really the reason for her uneasiness. Visions of being stuck in an apartment all day long with an irritate Santana Lopez is what concerns her. Santana huffs and rolls her eyes.<p>

"_We_ are not snowed in dip shit, _my_ truck is snowed in." Santana repeats for the second time already. She quickly growing tired of the confused facial expressions covering Rachel's face and she brushes past her hastily. "Out of my way hobbit." She tosses her gloves against the wall by the coat rack and makes her way down the hallway to her bedroom to find Brittany right where she'd left her, putting the finishing touches on their bags. "Babe, the trucks snowed in." This time she isn't pissed off that she has to say these words again because Brittany's blue eyes are looking back at her and her lower lip juts out forming a pout on her pretty little face.

"So does this mean we aren't going home?" She asks sadly and even though it was originally _her_ idea to stay in New York for Thanksgiving she kind of loved the fact that Santana's mother wanted the _both _of them to come home. Santana sighs and scratches the back of her neck.

"No, not yet anyway. I guess I'm gonna have to dig it or something so… yeah that's where I'll be." She waves her off turning for the hallway once again mumbling something about 'fucking snow plows' under her breath.

When she gets back to the living room she spots Quinn standing by the door with a smile on her face and two shovels in her hands. Santana lets out a laugh and takes on the shovels from her friend.

"I guess you couldn't talk Berry into doing the manual labor huh?" She jokes, she would rather hear Quinn complain for an hour than the sound of Rachel Berry's voice as she uses muscles she has forgotten about.

"She _really_ wanted to." Quinn explains with her clear, cut sarcasm. "But she had to wash her hair." She rolls her eyes and they head to the hallway and towards the elevator to get their shoveling on, as Santana put it.

An hour and a half later Quinn and Santana make their way back to the apartment, full of snow, cold and extremely tired. They leave the shovels out in the hall because they are still dripping water on the ground from the slush build up along with their boots. They walk in to find Rachel and Brittany lounging around on the couch watching television and flipping through magazines.

"Finally." Rachel sighs placing her magazine onto the coffee table and sits up straight, smiling at both girls. "Are we ready to go now?" Santana stares at her, more of a glare or perhaps a scowl but before she can even take a step towards the brunette Quinn jumps in front of her and forces a smile on her face.

"Yeah, let's go get our things so we can get the truck out before another snow plow comes and we have to shovel all over again." She claps her hands to make everyone start moving and watches as both Brittany and Rachel jump up from their spots and run to their respective bedrooms to gather all the bags together.

"I swear Quinn, if Rachel comments about my driving, my truck or if she even talks or breathes… I will kill her." Santana tells her friend as she walks by her to head to her bedroom. Quinn just nods and lets out a long breath.

"This is gonna be fun." The blonde says to herself with false optimism.

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><p>"Does the heat even work in this anymore?" Rachel asks in an accusatory tone rather than out of curiosity. Santana darts her eyes over Brittany and on to Quinn. "I for one don't feel like catching a cold and being sick for the whole time we are back in Lima."<p>

"Rachel, you'll be fine." Quinn says softly and reaches out to grab Rachel's hand that has been playing around with the air vents.

"Quinn, as a relatively small girl I tend to get colder than the average person. And I know that if I'm chilly now it's only going to get worse." The diva continues on regardless of her girlfriend's attempts to end the conversation. "And I think there's a draft coming from this window." She points to the passenger side window beside her, tapping it as well. "Or maybe it's the window behind us, something is whistling in my ear." Just as she finishes her sentence the truck veers off to the side of the parkway and comes to a complete and abrupt stop causing all the other three girls to scream and shriek at the sudden movements.

"Santana what the hell?" Quinn yells bringing her hand to her chest as though to make sure her heart is still beating and she is still alive.

Santana grips the steering wheel, side eyes her blonde friend and then throws the truck into park. Then, without another word she hops out of the driver's side, walks around the front of the truck and then a few feet away where she starts yelling in Spanish and waving her hands around erratically.

"What is she doing?" Rachel asks timidly, looking out her window and watching as the Latina kicks some snow, almost slipping in the process but catches herself. Brittany shifts in her seat and sighs.

"She does this sometimes." The blonde simply replies with a shrug of her shoulders getting strange looks from the other passengers. Brittany then looks right at Rachel, right in the eyes. "You probably shouldn't talk anymore Rach, or we are never going to get back to Lima… ever."

Rachel and Quinn, with wide eyes turn back to the passenger side window and look on as Santana continues to yell and kick and thrash her arms about until finally she just stops. Then she stands there, very still and closes her eyes. After a few short minutes she makes her way back to the truck, gets in, puts the truck into drive and pulls back onto the parkway. Brittany places her hand on Santana's thigh and rests her head onto her shoulder comfortably as they drive for a good fifteen minutes until the silence is broken.

"How much longer?" Rachel's voice practically echoes through the truck, as does the slap on her arm from Quinn.

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><p>After dropping Quinn and Rachel off at their parents homes Santana and Brittany drive towards their blocks. They decided to both go to the Lopez house first to drop their things off considering that is where they will be staying for the holiday. As they pull up they spot Mrs. Lopez walking down the steps to meet them at the curb, waving and smiling like she hasn't seen them in years.<p>

"Hey Mrs. Lo." Brittany greets as she jumps out of the truck and throws herself into the arms of the older woman who pulls her into a tight hug.

"Hello Brittany." Mrs. Lopez kisses her cheek then holds the blonde girl at arm's length to get a good look at her. "You look so good. Dancing in New York suits you I see." She winks at her before turning her attention to her daughter who is walking around the truck to say hello to her mother.

"You make it sound like she's dancing on corners when you say it like that Mom." Santana rolls her eyes at her mother's wording as does Mrs. Lopez at the way her daughter's mind thinks. The smaller girl smirks as she gets closer to her mother's waiting arms and falls into them becoming engulfed in the woman's embrace.

"Oh sweetheart, I miss your snarky comments and inappropriate banter." Mrs. Lopez gushes and places a kiss to her daughter's forehead. "Come on, let's get inside its getting cold out here." She ushers the girl's in who turn to grab their bags out of the bed of the truck and follow Mrs. Lopez into Santana's childhood home.

Of course it looks exactly the same as it did only months ago, same pictures, same décor and quiet so she figures, like always her dad is at work. Instead of going up the stairs to her room like she normally would she and Brittany head down to the basement where her mother has set up the pullout couch for them. Santana grins to herself at seeing how nice her mother has made the basement pull out couch look and the basement itself.

The comforter is perfectly placed over the springy bed along with several pillows and a tray as a nightstand with an alarm clock and a vase with a single rose. Her mother jokes that it was fun to set up because it was like putting together a room for the bed and breakfast she'd always wanted.

"Okay, I'll give you girls a few minutes to get all settled but don't take too long I want to take you out to lunch." She smiles at the both of them before turning around and making her way back up the steps, closing the door behind her.

They toss their bags on the floor at the foot of the bed and then their bodies onto the comforter, wincing at how uncomfortable the couch bed is.

"Ouch, shit, I forgot this thing sucks ass." Santana moans, turning onto her side to relieve her back from the horrible spring that had lodged itself into her spine. Brittany giggles and places her hand onto her girlfriend's hip and pulls her closer.

"You can just lie on top of me." Brittany whispers onto the Latina's lips, wriggling her eyebrows suggestively before pressing a kiss to her girlfriend.

"Mmm." Santana hums out, bringing her hand up to the blonde's cheek. "I planned on doing that anyway." She says between kisses and maneuvers her leg to slip between Brittany's and shuffles her body a little closer.

Their mouths open and tongues meet, while hands move across each other's bodies trying to find skin hidden beneath clothing. Santana's leg bends and aims to move up for her thigh to meet the spot between Brittany's legs and the blonde groans at the prospect of the friction. But, before any of that can happen, Brittany's hand comes to Santana's chest and pushes her back and pulls herself away.

"What are you doing?" Santana asks slightly out of breath, her eyes looking all over her girlfriend's features. Brittany smiles softly and brings her hand to her mouth wiping her bottom lip with her thumb. But all Santana gets is Brittany rolling onto her side, sitting up on the edge of the bed and pushing herself up and walking towards their bags. "Britt, what's wrong?" The blonde looks up from bending down to get her bag and lifting it onto the foot of the bed.

"Nothing's wrong." She shrugs and shakes her head. Santana sits up, leaning back on her hands and looks at her girlfriend.

"Okay." She drawls out slowly. "Then what's with the one second being all up on this." She points to herself. "And then the next second you are more interested in your clothes." She kicks the Cheerio's bag Brittany is rummaging through. "Now that we are back in Lima do you not find me attractive anymore?" She tries to act all dramatic and looks away to the ceiling and pretends to wipe a tear from her eye making Brittany laugh and the blonde hits her foot with her hand.

"_Please_." The blonde rolls her eyes and huffs. "I never found you attractive." She forces out through chuckles and this brings Santana's attention back to her, her jaw hanging open and her eyes wide.

"It's a good thing you're a terrible liar." Santana relaxes and grins up at her girlfriend. "Or I would be extremely hurt." She moves to sit on her knees and shuffles herself closer to the blonde. "So what gives? Don't you wanna, ya know…" She moves her eyebrows up and down flirtatiously. "For a little bit before we go to lunch."

"About that… I don't think we should be having sex in your mother's basement." Brittany tells her girlfriend, looking back down into her bag trying to avoid Santana's eyes that will reel her into submission.

"I'm sorry what?" Santana asks through a small chuckle and disbelief. The blonde glances up at her and gives her a knowing look. "Wait… we've so had sex everywhere in this house before. What's different now?"

"Nothing's different." Brittany says calmly continuing to pull her clothes out of her bag.

"Is this a test?" The Latina cautiously inquires getting a smirk from her girlfriend.

* * *

><p>Afternoon quickly turned into the evening and the girls found themselves sitting in the living room with Mrs. Lopez watching some soap opera. It's nearly midnight when the older woman excuses herself and heads for bed, kissing both girl's on the forehead before leaving the room. Santana looks over at Brittany when she hears the bedroom door to her mother's room close and sighs. The blonde has the remote control in her hand, flipping from one channel to the next even though Santana can tell she is not even paying attention to anything on the screen seeing as she's biting her lower lip trying to hold her smile in.<p>

"You know it's rude to stare." Brittany hums out, finally giving up on the television and shutting it off, tossing the remote onto the other couch beside them. She turns her body to face Santana's leaning her cheek into her hand and looks back at her. The Latina doesn't answer her, only shakes her head and continues to stare at her. "Come on, we should go get some sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow." The blonde tells her and gets up from the couch tugging on Santana's hand to get her to follow.

"I'm mad at you." Santana announces getting a giggle from her girlfriend. "It's not funny. We should have had this 'no sex' conversation before we got here. I would have gotten us a hotel or some shit." She huffs as she closes the basement door behind them and they trudge their way down the stairs.

"Santana." Brittany glances over her shoulder to give the other girl a look to hopefully end her ranting, even though they both know it's a lost cause.

"I mean, I can totally do it ya know. I'm sure you think I can't go a week without sex, but I can _so_, so totally do it." Her voice wavers which completely gives away her false confidence and Brittany does all she can to suppress her laughter and she turns away from Santana to gather some of her toiletries. "What are you doing now?" Santana asks noticing her girlfriend picking up a few things like she is going somewhere.

"I'm going to take a shower." Brittany tells her as though it would seem somewhat obvious taking in the sight of her towel, Santana's flannel robe, and a few articles of clothing along with her face wash in her arms.

"Now?" Santana whines, slapping her thighs with her hands lightly like her girlfriend taking a shower at midnight is such an annoying idea. "Hey," She says louder than she means to and points at the bunched up clothe in Brittany's hands. "That's _my_ robe." Brittany looks down at her hands taking in that she does in fact have her girlfriend's robe but merely shrugs because she completely intended on grabbing this particular robe.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you not like the idea of my wet, naked body being in your robe?" She quirks an eyebrow and watches Santana's face contort into confusion and obvious arousal at her choice of words.

"You are a horrible, horrible person." Santana grunts, crossing her arms over her chest ad pouting.

"Wow, well I was going to ask you to join me…" Brittany trails off, brushing by Santana and stopping at the bottom of the stairs. "But I think I'll just let you sit here and think about what you've done." She winks and lightly jogs up the stairs. Santana furrows her brow and bites her lip.

"Tease!" She shouts just before the door closes.

She wants to follow the blonde, she really does. But if this is a test, she is _so_ not failing. Brittany says no sex in Mama Lo's basement, then… no sex in Mama Lo's basement. So much for that lube Santana thinks to herself as she rips her bag open and yanks out some sleepwear with frustration.

After changing into some shorts and a t shirt, Santana lies on the pullout with her hands under her head and stares at the ceiling. Her mind goes back to their last night in Lima, only a few months ago, and it brings a smile to her face and a sensation she knows all too well deep down low in her stomach. Her legs fidget as she tries to take control over this feeling, not wanting to have to go to sleep a little aroused because she knows she will just wind up breaking Brittany's 'new rule'. She huffs and moves again trying to get comfortable.

The door to basement creaks open and then creaks shut and is followed by the sound of bare feet slowly padding their way down the wooden steps. She glances to her right to spot Brittany turning around the banister with her towel in her hand, along with her face wash and Santana's robe on.

"Oh, you're still awake." Brittany sighs out while placing her things onto the small table by the television set in front of their bed for the next couple of days. Santana breathes out a chuckle without much amusement.

"Sorry to disappoint you." The blonde glances over her shoulder to find her girlfriend lying on her back holding her cell phone in front of her face. Brittany grins, bites her lip and turns to stand at the foot of the bed facing Santana.

"What are you doing?" She asks even though it's fairly obvious.

"I am playing Scrabble on my phone." Santana tells her simply and peers around her hands and the phone to look at the blonde. "Trying to keep my hands busy, wouldn't want to break your new 'rules' on the first night." She says and then turns her attention back to her phone.

"That's a shame." The taller girl replies as she lets out a long slow breath and starts to untie her robe. Santana's thumbs stop moving and she chances a glance at Brittany who is slowly, _so_ torturously slowly untying the belt of the robe. "I mean… if you're hands are busy who's going to help me out of this?" She asks so innocently it should be illegal considering what she is referring too. Santana's jaw drops just as the robe hits the floor and reveals her girlfriend standing at the foot of the bed in that sexy, red lingerie that Santana loves so much.

Brittany stands there, eyebrow arched, smirk in place and her hands on her hips, her eyes locked into Santana's. The Latina's hands fumble with her phone as she tries to place it onto the tray table beside her, eventually giving up and just tosses it onto the floor as she sits up to get a better look at the barely clad blonde before her.

"What about the… the no sex thing?" She gulps as she takes in those legs that seem to go on for days.

"I was just fucking with you." Brittany tells her, her smile growing wider and wider as her girlfriend realizes she is practically drooling on herself. She kneels onto the bed and curls her finger in the air to summon Santana to come her way.

"You… are…" Santana stammers over her words as she crawls her way to the end of the bed to meet her girlfriend.

"Quinn told me you went out yesterday and got lube?" The blonde asks, pulling back just as Santana is about to kiss her, sending her a questioning look. The Latina bites her lip and blushes slightly, nodding in confirmation. "Did you… ya know? Bring the…" Brittany wonders out loud, obviously already assuming the other girl's reasons for needing such a product. Santana nods again, her eyes flickering to the side of the room where her bag is that is holding the very thing her girlfriend is asking of her. Brittany's eyes follow Santana's line of vision, leans her forehead to the smaller girls and motions with her head towards the bag. "Let's use it." She says in a low voice that gets an instant reaction, Santana jumping up and out of bed and over to her bag and is back on the bed in no time. Brittany watches her girlfriend carefully take out the strap on Santana had purchased for them last spring, place the lube on the side table and then toss the bag to the side. She moves behind the smaller girl and starts to play with the hem of her shirt while pressing little kisses to her neck. "Take this off." She whispers into her ear.

The t shirt is on the ground within seconds and Brittany's hands are on her bare chest, squeezing and caressing, her lips continuing to pepper kisses along the skin of her girlfriend's now bare shoulders. She pulls Santana against her, so that her breasts are pushed up against her back, keeping her hands on Santana's. Placing one last kiss on a tanned shoulder, Brittany lightly drags her tongue along Santana's shoulder, up her neck and flicking her earlobe with it. With a few heavy breathes in her ear and her own heartbeat thumping in her head Brittany sighs causing her eyes to flutter shut.

"Fuck me Santana." She opens her eyes when she feels Brittany's hands move from her breasts and onto the contraption sitting in her lap. She watches the light skinned hands fiddle with the straps and the buckle and her fingers run along the shaft. "Put this on and fuck me." Brittany's voice is so low and deep and it's hot against Santana's skin.

She swallows and then gets up from the bed to take her shorts off, watching Brittany watch her as she does so. Then the blonde holds out the harness for Santana to step into, which she does, and places a hand onto Brittany's shoulder to steady herself. Once she has both legs through Brittany fixes it to fit her and then tucks a finger under one of the thin parts of the strap and tugs on it for Santana to come back onto the bed.

Brittany lies in the middle of the pullout, preparing to be taken by the Latina and she lifts herself up when she feels Santana's fingers hook under the elastic of her laced panties. With that out of the way Santana crawls up to hover over the blonde who spreads her legs further to provide her girl with some room to work with. She bends her knees, positioning her thighs to rest under Brittany's and sits on the heels of her feet and reaches over to grab the lube ripping the box open.

While Brittany watches her girlfriend lube up, the tanned hand stroking the substance up and down, she arches her back slightly to put her own hands behind her back and unclasps her bra. Santana grins at the sight of the blonde beneath her as she hastily removes the final article of clothing and throwing it across the room and bringing her soft hands to the Latina's thighs, waiting impatiently.

With the tube of lube carelessly placed back onto the folding tray table Santana shifts her lower body, letting her knees unbend and puts her hands by the sides of Brittany's head. As she leans down to kiss her the blonde reaches down and in between them to guide the piece attached to her girlfriend inside of her, gasping as she always does.

* * *

><p>Thanksgiving morning is welcomed by Mrs. Lopez fairly early, pretty much like it is every year. She dances her way through out the kitchen putting the finishing touches on breakfast and smiles as her husband comes walking from their bedroom freshly showered and dressed for the day's festivities. The older Latina motions for him to make some fresh coffee which he does with a grunt in response and she claps when she hears the doorbell ring.<p>

Mrs. Lopez happily greets her two last minute guests, Rachel and Quinn by pulling them each into a hug and thanking them for joining them for the traditional Lopez family breakfast. They thank her, of course, and are welcomed into the Lopez home and brought into the dining room that is already set up for their morning feast.

"And don't worry, Quinn told me you were… uh, one of those non-animal eating people, so I have tons of fruit for you dear." She explains to Rachel, pointing to the three large bowls of freshly cut fruit on the table. Quinn's eyebrows rise, not expecting Mrs. Lopez to go completely overboard with this request.

"Oh, thank you so much." Rachel smiles as the woman places a hand on her shoulder before making her way back into the kitchen.

"It was no trouble sweetheart." She calls from the kitchen. "Now, make yourselves comfortable, I'll go wake up the girl's." Quinn and Rachel glance at one another as they take seats next to each other.

Mrs. Lopez opens the basement door so fast not one creak is made and she descends the stairs just as quietly, though not on purpose she's just swift like that. So it's of no surprise that when she gets down the stairs and turns around the banister that neither girl has stirred from their sleep. With a flick of the switch the lights go on, illuminating the usually black out dark room and she comes to realize that the bed is empty.

With a furrowed brow she glances around the room curiously knowing that there was no way they would have woken up before her. She chances a few steps towards the pull out that is bare of its comforter and pillows only to stop when she hears some muffled noises from the other side of the sofa. She rolls her eyes and continues on her quest to wake the two girls up and so she walks around the back of the pull out couch to find Santana and Brittany on the floor.

Her daughter is lying on her stomach with her arms tucked under pillow and the blonde is literally lying on Santana's back, her head resting on the spot between her girlfriend's shoulder blades which the older Latina notices is quite bare. Even with the comforter half covering their bodies, she can figure out that to go along with them being topless the most likely are not wearing anything on the bottom. So, she clears her throat loud enough for them to hear. Santana is the first to move and she lifts her head and turns it towards the direction of the offending sound. She blinks a few times until finally taking in the sight of her mother in front of her with her arms over her chest and a quirked eyebrow.

"Mom." Her raspy, just woke up voice comes through and wakes Brittany up. The blonde opens her eyes quickly and her hand reaches to pull the covers over them.

"Quinn and Rachel are joining us for breakfast. So hurry up." She tells them and turns around to head to the stairs. When she reaches the banister she turns around and shakes her head at the girl's who are now sitting up, blushing and giggly. "And put some clothes on!" She says loudly and shakes her head before marching up the stairs.

A few minutes later the girl's join the rest of the group for breakfast receiving a smile from the oblivious Mr. Lopez who gets up to hug his daughter and Brittany, a smirk from Quinn, a strange smile from Rachel and a 'finally' from Mrs. Lopez.

"Everything looks so good Mrs. Lo." Brittany beams to the older woman sitting at the head of the table.

"Seriously M-Lo, you know the way to a girl's heart." Quinn nods furiously as she stuffs bacon into her mouth with one hand and the other is stacking some more onto her plate and Mrs. Lopez smiles thankfully.

"Q, quit bogarting the damn bacon." Santana whines trying to reach for the plate of meat.

"So Brittany," Mr. Lopez chimes in and the blonde whips her head to the other end of the table to the man of the house who is sitting beside her. "How is school going?" He asks just as proud to hear the answer as if it were his own child he was speaking to. Brittany smiles back at him as Santana does the same but in Brittany's direction and gives her girlfriend's leg an encouraging squeeze to completely gloat.

"It's going amazing." She says with excitement. "My teachers are awesome, the classes are so much fun." She makes a face after she says this and looks back at Santana for a moment before turning back to Mr. Lopez. "Santana's been helping me with my other classes. I'm getting an A in English because of her." She rubs her girlfriend's arm gently and watches as the eldest of the Lopez clan grins at his daughter, a small sparkle in his eye.

"She gets that from her mother." He glances to his wife briefly. "Nita was always good with books and stories and writing." He shrugs and then dives right back into his small stack of pancakes. "That's good to hear sweetheart, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. And keeping Santana out of trouble as usual I'm sure." Quinn coughs, quickly bringing her hand up to cover her mouth before her food can pop out. She tries to hold in her laughter, which she does a fairly good job of until Santana kicks her from under the table. Mr. Lopez and Mrs. Lopez share bewildered looks and the Latino clears her throat and shifts in his chair. "Are you going to see your parents today?"

"Yeah Daddy, we're going to Britt's for dessert." Santana jumps in this time.

"What?" Mrs. Lopez is the one who responds, getting five pairs of eyes on her.

"Well, we are having dinner here and then going to Brittany's parents for dessert." Santana repeats herself in a little more of an elaborate way, although, she thinks it was pretty cut and dry the first time. The older Latina's eyebrows furrow and she looks to her husband.

"Why can't you have dinner _and_ dessert here?" She asks her daughter not understanding. Santana chews her food and swallows before she turns in her chair and rests her fork on her plate.

"That's not fair for _her_." Santana motions to the blonde beside her. "She comes home for a holiday and can't spend time with her family?" She shakes her head, shooting her friends on the other side of the table apologetic glances for having to witness this uncomfortable conversation.

"Obviously that is not what I mean Santana, stop putting words in my mouth." Mrs. Lopez shakes her head while she moves her hand, playing with her food with her fork. "It would only make sense for Brittany to go and spend time with her parents." She states and her daughter agrees, positioning herself back to face her plate full on. "But why do you have to go with her? Can't she go and you stay for dessert, Jessica is bringing that cake you love so…"

"Mom!" Santana groans loudly, throwing her head back and rolling her eyes. "Brittany is staying for dinner _here_, with me. Then _I_ am going to the Pierce's for dessert." She side eyes her mother. "We're a couple, _remember_? That's what couples do for stupid family functions. They suffer equally at each other's parent's houses." Quinn and Rachel look at each other, nervously chewing their food while Brittany stares at her fork that is pushing around her eggs.

"I was just saying," Mrs. Lopez mumbles and it would be to herself if the room was not dead quiet. "It's not like you're married." Santana clenches her jaw, swallows hard and then let's out a long sigh. She knows her mother doesn't mean it like _that_, in a bad way, but it still gets to her and she glances to her left where Brittany is sitting.

"So I was thinking we could go shopping tomorrow?" Quinn finally jumps into the conversation and catches Mrs. Lopez's attention.

Santana on the other hand is busy trying to read her girlfriend's emotions. She seems fine now, now that Quinn is talking about shopping and clothes and all that girl stuff they love so much. And Santana knows it's more her than Brittany that is bothered by her mother's words.

Breakfast finally comes to an end and Brittany and Santana walk their friend's to the front door. They smile at each other and say 'Happy Thanksgiving' and 'I'll see ya later' before they depart. The couple moves quickly passed the kitchen to make their way down into their makeshift bedroom for the next five days.

"Sorry about that." Santana says softly as they walk down the stairs.

"About what?" Brittany asks, looking over her shoulder curiously. Santana nods her head towards the door at the top of the steps, referring to her mother with one eye roll.

"Her and the dessert crap." She grabs Brittany's hand, taking it easily in her own and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"It's okay Santana." Brittany grins. "She just misses you, that's all." She scrunches her nose and leans in to give her girlfriend a quick peck. Santana smiles back at her and shakes her head, letting their hands unclasp so she can bring both of hers to the blonde's waist and pull her close. "What?" Brittany breathes out, searching brown eyes.

"Sometimes I just forget how much smarter you are than me." Brittany giggles and throws her arms around the smaller girl's neck placing a soft kiss on her lips. "How about a nap before we get ready for the fam?" The blonde nods and allows herself to be led to the pull out.

"Can we sleep on the floor again, that was so much more comfy."


	13. Chapter 13

**_thank you guys for the reviews:0) they seriously make me so happy. i love getting feedback, it makes me want to write so much more._**

**_anyways, here is Thanksgiving for our ladies. It's in bits and pieces but the important bits and pieces i assure you_**

**_read and review:)_**

* * *

><p>"Well, that wasn't awkward at all." Quinn sighs, her sarcasm anything but light. Rachel nods, putting her blinker on preparing to turn off of Santana's block.<p>

"I thought Santana's mother was okay with her and Brittany being together." The diva comments as she reaches to the dashboard and fiddles with the heat. Quinn shrugs, shakes her head and raises her hands in bewilderment.

"Yeah I don't know. She is, was… I thought." The blonde stammers.

"Maybe something else is going on." Rachel offers and Quinn lets that thought simmer for a few moments before nodding at the possibility.

"Maybe." The blonde nods in agreement.

"I mean, it's completely possible that since her daughter has gone away to… 'college' in a completely different state, living on her own and only talks to her when Santana actually calls her back that she… misses her?" Rachel tilts her head wondering if it was at all possible for someone, besides Brittany of course, to miss the Latina and all of her… qualities. Quinn scrunches her nose and furrows her eyebrows, a smirk clearly covering her lips.

"Rach." She playfully slaps her girlfriend's leg. "Of course she misses Santana, that's mean."

"I wasn't trying to be mean at all Quinn, just making an uncomfortable and unbelievable observation."

"You're horrible." The blonde shakes her head and giggles at the diva's choice of words. "And besides, the Lopez's absolutely love Brittany, I guess it's just interesting to me that Mrs. Lopez would be so, whatever about Santana going over the Britt's for dessert."

"In all honesty, I think this is one of those times where we just mind our own business and keep our thoughts to ourselves." Rachel points out and though she does have a valid point, Quinn can't help but wonder about how breakfast went at the Lopez house and then thinks about how _their_ day is going to go with _their_ parents.

* * *

><p>Brittany is sitting on the edge of the bed fixing up her shoes when Santana returns from the bathroom, tossing her makeup bag onto the table by the television. The blonde smiles to herself as she watches the Latina play with her hair in front of the mirror on the wall and lean in closely to give her make up another once over.<p>

"You look nice." Brittany tells her girlfriend softly. Santana glances over her shoulder and smiles, her eyes twinkling under the dim light of the basement. Blue eyes travel over the length of Santana's body, taking in the toned legs the show just beneath her dress.

"Do you think this is too much?" Santana asks turning around and nervously running her hands down the front of her black dress. Brittany finishes clasping her shoes and pushes herself up from the bed to walk across the room and stop just in front of her girlfriend.

"I think you look absolutely perfect." She says quietly, reaching out to take the Latina's hands in her own. Santana smiles, letting a small giggle come out as she breathes.

"Thank you." Her had bashfully dips and she finally lets her eyes rake over the girl in front of you. "Wow." Her eyes widen as she takes in Brittany who is wearing a flowy skirt and a tight top decorated by the necklaces around her neck. "You… look… I guess you picked an outfit out of the seventy five you bought huh?" She jokes and gets a grin from the blonde. "Well, I think you look amazing in shorts and a t shirt so…" She shrugs, swinging their hands between them. "Come here." Santana tugs the taller girl closer, sliding her hands up Brittany's arms and around her neck letting her thumbs caress the sides of her neck. "This feels all kinds of grown up babe." She whispers, her breath just hitting Brittany's lips. The blonde's hands rest on the shorter girl's waist and she nods.

"I know right." She arches an eyebrow before leaning in and placing a soft kiss onto Santana's lips. They both look up when they hear the front door open and close for the third time since they've been getting ready.

"Alright, time for the Lopez family Thanksgiving." Santana rolls her eyes, giving Brittany another peck on the lips before dragging her up the stairs.

"Hey babe?" Brittany says just before they are about to reach the top of the stairs. Santana stops walking and looks over her shoulder to meet her girlfriend's curious eyes.

"Hmm?"

"When are your brother's gonna get here?" The blonde asks her tentatively. It's not that she doesn't like Santana's brother's they're just… a handful.

"The devil twins should be here in about an hour. My dad went to pick them up right after breakfast." Santana shakes her head, not at all looking forward to being reunited with the evil spawn children she is certain her parents found on the side of the road and brought home. She would have definitely been completely okay with growing up an only child. Brittany nods and goes to take another step up figuring that Santana would finish leading the rest of the way but she stops when she notices the Latina remaining still. "We probably shouldn't bring up the oven mitts situation." Santana suggests, Brittany twists her lips but nods in agreement. "Or the ketchup balloon fiasco." She adds and goes to turn back to the door only to glance at the blonde one more time, her finger in the air as though pointing at a list of unmentionable topics to discuss with or about her siblings. "And it's probably best not to talk about the time they caught us in my parent's bathroom." Brittany's eyes widen at the memory.

"Oh the time with the…"

"Yeah, that time." Santana cuts her off and shakes her head, almost in shame of the event. "It's for the best." Brittany nods, her eyes downcast for a moment as though paying respect to those random events and then looks up to her girl and smiles.

"Okay, let's go get em." She winks and blows her girlfriend a kiss. Santana grins back at her before turning around and opening the door at the top of the staircase.

They are instantly bombarded with the noises, sounds and voices that come from a Lopez family gathering. Relatives shouting at Santana to come and say 'hello' to which she grudgingly complies, dragging Brittany along with her all over the house to do so. It was interesting, to say the least, and very freeing to have to explain to her aunts and uncles and some of her older cousins that though Brittany is her best friend and roommate in New York that she is in fact her girlfriend.

Some of her relatives would get quite, only a few, and nod in understanding but then quickly change the topic or shout at another person across the room thus ending the conversation. At this the couple would shrug and move on to the next people that beckoned Santana over to them. But most of her aunts and uncles and cousins already knew Brittany and apparently her parents had already informed most of them of their daughter's relationship to the blonde girl by her side. Most of them just wanted to hear her say it out loud for their amusement, always getting a kick out of getting Santana Lopez to stammer and stumble over her words.

After the meet and greets and reuniting Santana led them into the living room where the little ones were watching television.

"Here, you sit down and relax I'm gonna go get something to drink." Santana motions to the folding chair beside the couch for Brittany to sit in. "Do you want anything?" Brittany takes her seat, crossing her legs at the knee and smiles up at her girlfriend.

"Whatever you're having is fine." Santana nods before turning around and walking back into the kitchen to retrieve some beverages for her and Brittany.

When Santana returns, two sodas in hand, she takes a seat on the arm of the couch next to Brittany who is watching whatever cartoon it is that the little kids are currently watching. Santana places her hand on Brittany's back, rubbing soft circles with her palm and takes a sip of her soda glancing at the television for a moment to see what exactly they are being forced to watch. She smiles when she feels Brittany's body leaning into hers, most likely out of habit, and she slips her fingers under blonde hair and gently squeezes the back of her girlfriend's neck affectionately.

"If you girl's want there are some chips and dip, some shrimp cocktail and other weird things your uncle made out on the kitchen table." Mrs. Lopez calls out to them from the doorway of the kitchen.

"I'm good." Santana replies then looks to Brittany to see if she wants anything because she usually does.

"No thank you." The blonde smiles at Mrs. Lopez waving her hand in the air and shaking her head.

"You sure B, I can so hook you up with a crazy plate of everything." Santana offers, already up from her spot on the arm of the couch but Brittany reaches out to get her to sit back down, shaking her head.

"Santana sit, if I want something I can get it myself." She says softly.

"Obviously, but I like doing things for you." Santana mumbles into her cup as she takes a small sip getting a smile from the blonde.

"I know babe and it's sweet but you don't have to." Brittany explains.

"You know I'm still going to." Santana tells her pointedly.

"Yeah, I know." She nods, leaning her head against Santana's shoulder and hooking their arms together letting her hand rest in the bend at Santana's elbow.

"Get a room." One of the twins shouts from the other side of the room taking his jacket off and jumping on to the couch across from them.

"Get a life." Santana quips back looking around quick before flipping him off and just as fast Brittany's hand comes up to pull that finger down with the rest.

"I can't believe Mom is letting you two sleep together in the basement." He rolls his eyes, in only a way that a Lopez can, and he slinks low in his spot on the sofa across from them. "It's completely unfair, whenever Julia comes over we can't even go into my room."

"First of all, gross." Santana scrunches her nose in disgust. "Second of all you're all of what, fifteen?"

"And a half."

"So not the point." She shakes her head. "Third of all, the possibility of either of us getting pregnant is kind of low." She bites back.

"Whatever." He waves her off and pushes himself up from the couch to go wallow somewhere else.

"I can't believe I'm related to that moron." Santana huffs, bringing her attention back to the blonde girl on her arm.

"Santana, he's your brother. Try and be nice, at least for today." Brittany turns her head to kiss her girlfriend's arm quickly.

"He started it." She mutters, getting an eye roll and a chuckle from Brittany.

"Santana." An older woman's voice calls out from the dining room, her arms outstretched as she makes her way towards the couch stepping over tiny children in the process.

"Gran." Santana beams up at her grandmother and jumps from her seat to meet her halfway at least and gets engulfed into a hug she is sure her mother inherited.

"How have you been my little munchkin?" Her grandmother pulls back and squeezes the dark haired girl's cheeks.

"Good, good." Santana bats her hands away all the while smiling. "Hey," She looks over her shoulder and motions for Brittany to get up and come stand beside her. "You remember Brittany right?" Of course her grandmother remembers her, but she's old and Santana figures 'hey you never know'.

"How could I forget a pretty face like this?" She pulls the blonde into a hug as well, getting a giggle out of the young girl. "How have you been?"

"Doing well." Brittany smiles, pulling away and shifting a little closer to Santana.

"That's lovely to hear darling." The older woman grins back, looking between the two girls. "Well?" She asks loudly and expectantly causing the two girl's to look at each other with confused smiles on their faces.

"What?" Santana nervously inquires. The older Lopez rolls her eyes and waves her granddaughter away.

"Just like your father." She shakes her head turning her attention to Brittany once more. "I take it my Santana is treating you right?" She arches an eyebrow, eyeing the girl in front of her carefully as though ready to detect any kind of hesitation in her answer. Brittany grins widely and nods furiously.

"Yes, she is." The blonde answers softly, sending a quick glance to the girl standing beside her.

"Really honey?" Granny Lopez turns the younger version of her son. "I may be old but I'm not blind and I am certainly not a… what is it called?" Her eyes flicker to the ceiling as if the word is stored somewhere up there. "Love is love." She settles on, her soft smile spreads to her cheeks and her eyes and lets her hands come to rest on the shoulder of each girl. "You two complement one another. I always thought so." And with a wink Granny Lopez is off to embarrass a different Lopez child.

"Aw that was sweet." Brittany comments once the older woman is out of ear shot. She turns her body to Santana whose cheeks are flushed and her mouth slightly open.

"That was…" She shakes her head, her eyes move up to meet Brittany's and she smirks. "That was awesome!" The Latina whispers, wrapping her arms around the blonde's waist and pulls her closer. Brittany giggles at the response and lovingly circles her arms around her girlfriend's neck. "This is going better than I expected." She admits, speaking quietly into Brittany's ear.

"Can't see!" The other twin speaks causing the girl's to pull apart and find him sitting in their previous spot trying to watch the television through them rather than moving. "Good, now move this mush fest to the other side of the room. You're ruining my appetite." He tells them and motions for them to move with the remote in his hand. Santana's eye quivers and she makes a move to step towards him but Brittany catches her arm and drags her to the other side of the room.

"Britt, seriously one of these boys are gonna be dead by the end of the week." She says through clenched teeth and all Brittany can think is 'if I had a dollar for every time I've heard her say this'.

Later on Brittany finds herself stuck in the hallway with a few of Santana's older cousin's and aunts along with Mrs. Lopez. Of course she doesn't mind much, she's friendly and all but all she really wanted to do was go to the bathroom. But soon the family was asking her questions about New York and how it was living there and then of course how living with Santana was and if she has gotten sick of picking up after her girlfriend yet.

"Classes are going great." The blonde tells Santana's cousin Jessica, who is actually old enough to really be her aunt but, technicalities. Jessica nods approvingly, everyone else seeming to feel happy for the young girl that school is going well for her. "I love all of my classes actually, except, there's this one class I've been having an issue with." She bites her lip and smirks before she explains to the women the incident that was her TA and how he tried to put the moves on her.

"Knowing Santana I'm actually impressed." Jessica responds, shaking her head and her eyebrows up to her hair line.

"Yeah, well, she's tough and scary. I wouldn't mess with her if I were him." One of her other aunts states, her name escapes the blonde at the moment. But her comment gets a few chuckles nonetheless especially Mrs. Lopez who throws her head back. Brittany nods and smiles, looking over to the couch finding her girlfriend with her cell phone in her hand, glancing out the window.

"I'm just gonna…" The blonde excuses herself, pointing towards the couch and the other women grin and nod.

Santana's eyes turn to her phone, her eyebrows furrow while she is clearly reading a text or something.

"What are ya doin?" Brittany asks as she gets closer to Santana, who looks up from her phone and smiles.

"Nothing, Quinn keeps texting me." She rolls her eyes and tosses her phone on the couch beside her and then pats her thighs for Brittany to take a seat there. The blonde playfully rolls her eyes before bringing her hands to the back of her skirt, flattening it out as she sits onto Santana's lap. "She's telling me dumb shit her mother keeps saying in front of Rachel's dad's." Santana explains, rubbing her hand on Brittany's back while the blonde drapes her arm around Santana's neck.

* * *

><p>Dinner starts off a little awkwardly. All of the kids come running in from outside yelling and fighting and saying they're starving while the adults try and control their little terrors and get them into the dining room without knocking something over. Santana leads Brittany to the seats closest to the wall, where they always sit for big family meals and holidays. The blonde smirks when she sees Santana about to pull out her chair for her and she swats her hand away, getting an incredulous look from her in the process. She just winks and reaches for Santana's chair, pulls it out and motions for her to sit and she does, letting the blonde push her chair in a little bit. Santana smiles up at Brittany as she takes her own seat beside her.<p>

"Well isn't that cute." Jessica comments from across the table, grinning at the young couple who are now sporting matching colored blushes. Then Jessica turns to Robert and elbows him. "How come you don't pull my chair out for me?" She questions and he shoots the girl's across the table a look.

"You don't pull mine out either." He replies, quirking one of his eyebrows up, she smirks and nods.

"Fair enough." She chuckles and Brittany and Santana follow suit.

After the blushing from Santana's face subsides and her family goes on to bother each other, she helps set up Brittany's plate for her even though the blonde assures her she is capable of doing it herself. Dinner begins and conversation dies down a little bit since everyone is chowing down on Mrs. Lopez's delicious work with the turkey and of course Santana's help with the side dishes.

"Brittany?" Mr. Lopez speaks up to get the blonde's attention. "You're turn." He smiles kindly in her direction and she nods.

"Right. Well, I'm thankful for a lot really." She looks around the room all too well aware of everyone's eyes on her. "I guess," Her eyes flicker to her left, where Santana is sitting and they share a brief smile. "I'm thankful that I get to wake up every day to my best friend." She shrugs and bashfully looks down into her cup as the whole table 'aw's' her statement of what she is thankful for.

"That was sweet." Granny Lopez comments getting a small surprised look from her granddaughter. Santana knew her grandmother knew about her and Brittany, but until today had never really reaped the benefits of having such a badass and cool grandma. "Santana it's your turn, although I don't see how you can beat that." The older woman nods to Brittany who is too busy staring at Santana to notice.

"Yeah, umm, well…" She stammers, suddenly wondering when it had gotten so hot in this damn room. "I'm not really good at these, you all know this by now." Everyone mutters something under their breath, all pretty much in agreement with Santana's statement. "Ha ha." She rolls her eyes. "But, this year I realize that I _do_ have something to be thankful for." She turns in her chair so that her body is facing Brittany and she takes the blonde's hands in her own. "I don't think I'm perfect but you tell me I am." She shrugs but maintains eye contact. "I know I mess up sometimes but, you _always_ find it in you to forgive me." Brittany giggles, nodding her head in agreement, looking down at their hands briefly before meeting Santana's eyes again. "I'm thankful for _you_ Brittany. I'm thankful that even though it took me forever to say those three little words to you that you stuck around. And most importantly, I'm so thankful that in spite of all that sh-stuff," She corrects herself, not wanting to get in trouble for cursing in front of the kids. "That you continue to love me in return." She turns her face away from everyone's peering eyes in hopes of hiding her embarrassment and tinted cheeks but keeps her eyes focused on her girlfriend's.

"Well I will most definitely cheers to that." Mr. Lopez raises his glass and sends a wink across the table to his wife who is looking a little choked up at seeing her daughter so emotionally vulnerable with Brittany.

"Cheers." Everyone else joins in, but the girls are in their own world for a little while longer.

"Mom." Santana finally turns in her chair, touching her cheek with the back of her hand as though to test if they are still hot. "What are you thankful for?" She asks curiously.

"Yeah Mom, you didn't go yet." Mrs. Lopez looks around the table at each one of her children and then her husband, bringing her hand up to her face and wiping under her eye with the back of her finger.

"I'm thankful for so _many_ things." She clears her throat, beaming at each and every guest. "And since this is my house I will rattle off my list instead of picking just one." Mrs. Lopez winks at her son. "I am thankful for my loving husband who never ceases to amaze me. I love you." She raises her glass in his direction. "I am thankful that my two boys have stayed out of trouble and to the only private school in Ohio that would accept them." She twists her lips over at the twins and raises her eyebrows. "And last but definitely not least I too am thankful for Brittany." She moves her gaze to her left and a little up the table settling on the blonde haired girl beside her daughter. "Thank you for loving my daughter the way that you do."

* * *

><p>It took a while, but soon enough the couple is on the way to the blonde's parents house in hopes for some yummy treats courtesy of Mrs. Pierce herself. When they step into the quaint home they are welcomed by the smell of freshly baked goods and coffee, along with Brittany's family as well. Mrs. Pierce comes practically running through the kitchen, with an apron on and oven mitts on her hands quickly pulling both girl's into a hug.<p>

"Oh I've missed you two." She tells them quietly pressing a kiss to their cheeks as she tightens her hold on them. "Come on, close the door." Mrs. Pierce steps back and waves them in, her hands still covered by the oven mitts and Santana can't help but giggle. "How was the drive, easy I hope." The older blonde inquires, looking over her shoulder to Santana as she leads them into the dining room. The Latina nods with a smile, taking her jacket off as she walks through the Pierce home.

"Brittany!" A voice comes from down the hall and the girl's turn just in time to see Brittany's younger sister running towards them and prepare themselves for a rough landing.

"Hey Jai." Brittany greets her younger sister and grunts when the youngest Pierce slams into her leg, wrapping her arms around it as she does so. "How have you been?"

"Great!" Jaime tells her older sister, pulling her head back just enough to look up at the taller girl and flash her a smile. "Is it fun playing house with Santana?" She asks innocently causing the couple to chuckle and turn different shades of pink.

"Of course it is squirt, I'm the bomb." Santana answers, bringing her hand to the top of Jaime's hair and ruffling it up a bit.

"Hey!" Jaime whines but in a playful manner and quickly unwraps her limbs from her sisters leg and goes about trying to tackle Santana's instead. Brittany stands there and watches as her girlfriend plays with her little sister, finally letting the younger girl win and laughing hard when tiny hands try to tickle her even though they aren't finding her tickle spots.

"Britt-Britt." Brittany turns in the direction of the familiar voice, a small smile already in place.

"Hey Laurie." She puts her arms up to greet her big sister with a hug, which Laurie meets her half way with.

"You're so grown up now, it's scary." Laurie says softly, her hand rubbing up and down her little sister's back as they keep their embrace and even tighten it a tiny bit. "I remember when you were annoying and small like Jai." Brittany pulls back with a giggle and playfully pushes her sister's shoulder. "Hey that's it I'm telling mom." Laurie jokes but her attention is stolen from something short and fast bumping in to her leg. "Umm, excuse me mister." The older Pierce sibling bends down to make eye contact with a small boy. "Are you going to say 'hi' to your Aunt Britt-Britt or are you just gonna continue ignoring her and causing chaos?" He twists his lips, smirking as he pretends to think and his mother shakes her head trying her best not to find him the least bit amusing.

"It's okay Brady, chaos sounds like a lot of fun. I would have trouble with that choice too." Brittany tells her nephew who laughs and throws his body against hers, his form of a hug and then he's off to jump on the couch and help Jaime tackle Santana. The older blonde's turn to watch the two youngsters poking the Latina and trying to mess up her hair.

"I hope they don't find her stash of razor blades in there." Laurie sighs, playing it off as serious as possible and Brittany realizes how much she misses her sister. "Does she still use that line?" She quirks an eyebrow to her sister.

"We live in New York City, of course she does." Brittany shakes her head and rolling her eyes.

"Is that my Brittany I hear?" A deep voice bellows from the den and soon enough the owner to said voice appears and it's non-other than Mr. Pierce himself. "Happy Thanksgiving sweetheart." He smiles warmly and holds his arms open pulling his daughter into his arms. "My goodness, have you gotten taller?" He laughs out and after she whines 'dad' he pulls away shaking his head at her as if to say 'I'm kidding'.

"How was dinner?" Brittany asks him, leaning her head on her sister's shoulder as she speaks.

"It was fun, Nana had to leave though. She was a little…" He widens his eyes and then makes a motion with his hand to indicate that Nana was in fact drunk, again, for Thanksgiving.

"I can't believe you missed it." Laurie jokes.

"Say…" Mr. Pierce cranes his neck and looks around the room they are in and then walks into the living room where Santana is sitting with the kids watching television. "Where's that moody, dark haired girl?" Santana looks up and rolls her eyes in amusement, she's been through this so many times with this man it's bordering on ridiculous. "Permanent scowl etched on her face, her only weakness is that of blonde dancer's who have the ability to make her smile?" He questions in his goofy yet serious tone, making everyone giggle including Santana. He stops in front of her and quirks an eyebrow as if inspecting her. "Well, you… you kind of look like that girl." He points at her, tapping his chin with his other hand. "But, no, you smile way too much." He half winks his eye at before giving in and sporting a cheesy grin and lifting her up from the couch and into a hug.

Dessert at the Pierce's is different than dinner at the Lopez's, not better, just different. At Santana's everyone's talking, there are just a lot of people but it's still very entertaining. Dessert at the Pierce's is always the same, most of the family leaves except for Nana, well usually anyway. And it's more intimate. Brittany can't help but sit back, watch her family and Santana converse and joke and she wonders how future family gatherings will be with their families together, mixed. The thought makes her laugh out loud, getting a few odd stares from around the table.

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><p>Mr. Lopez comes out of their en suite bathroom to find his wife standing by the open door to their balcony, one of the many perks of having one of the nicest houses in Lima Heights thanks to a doctor for a husband. He stands there momentarily staring at her with her arms comfortably wrapped around herself, obviously shielding her body from the slight chill of a November evening in Ohio. Her head tilts to the side, her eyes still fixed on something down below and by the sound of the sigh that escapes her he knows she is smiling and thinking as well.<p>

"What are you looking at Nita?" Mr. Lopez asks her, not only making his presence known with his voice but his footsteps coming towards her give him away. She waits until he is beside her and until his hands come to rest on her shoulders. Mrs. Lopez doesn't turn around and she doesn't point down into the garden to show him but simply maintains eye contact with the vision knowing his eyes will follow her line of vision, eventually.

It takes him a few minutes but really it's not all too hard to spot. Down in the garden in their backyard just in front of their small fountain are two young girls. He grins, breathing out through his nose allowing himself to relax along with the woman to his side. He looks to the side briefly when he believes that he hears the faint sound of music playing somewhere and then he closes his eyes as he figures out the tune.

Down in that garden that, due to the time of year, holds no flowers or any other form of plant life stand Brittany and Santana. But then again, they are not quite standing but more of dancing along to the quite playing of 'Wonderful Tonight' by Eric Clapton, courtesy of Mr. Lopez's iPod and dock fixed on the window sill in the kitchen. Santana's parents watch on, for a little while at least, as Santana leads Brittany along for a dance around the garden.

Her hand on the small of the blonde's back as she guides her along with their hands clasped between their chests and Brittany's hand gently resting on Santana's neck. They can see from their room as their daughter starts mouthing the words, she may be singing them but if she is it's softly and only for the girl in front of her to hear. They grin at each other when the Latina brings their hands up and taps her finger, which is still intertwined with the blonde's, and taps Brittany's nose affectionately.

Santana steps back to lift their hands and twirl Brittany around once before stepping closely against her again, their hands finding their resting places once more. The blonde smiles wildly and throws her head back giggling as her girlfriend continues to sing to her. The laughter fades and she simply watches Santana's lips move. Of course, the Lopez's can't see this little tid bit but that's okay because they see everything else.

"Come on sweetheart." Mr. Lopez squeezes his wife's shoulder and kisses her temple. "Let them be." He knows she just wants to watch their daughter because for someone like Santana, it was almost like Christmas to see her be so affectionate and vulnerable and corny and it was beautiful, Mrs. Lopez thought. But she nods and with a final glance down at the girl's she steps back inside and closes the door quietly leaving the girl's be.

Down in the garden, their footsteps have become almost nonexistent but more so just holding one another close. Their eyes sparkle against the light of the winter moon, not even caring that their shoes are getting ruined and dirty because that's not important. Brittany's smile turns softer, as does Santana's, the Latina looks almost serious but there is still adoration in her eyes. She pulls Brittany's hand closer to her body and holds it tighter in her hand.

"_I feel wonderful because I see the love of light in your eyes." _She sings to the blonde in the quietest voice possible._ "And the wonder of it all," _Santana smirks_. "Is that you just don't realize how much I love you." _She points her finger to Brittany's chest and then leans in to place a soft kiss to the blonde's lips.


	14. Chapter 14

**_hey yo! so0o0o, this chapter is a littttttle short but it is intended to get the ball rolling on a few things. hope you like it._**

**_read and review my loves:)_**

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><p>The drive back to New York is pretty much silent except for the radio and random comments from Brittany to whoever is willing to listen. Santana is still living on a high from how well her trip with Brittany went, minus the very awkward time they had spent at the Fabray residence. But for the most part she tries not to dwell too much on that subject but rather deal with it when they get home.<p>

Rachel, on the other hand, despite Brittany's best efforts, is far too deep in the events of their tiny vacation back home. Nothing had gone as she had planned at all and Rachel Berry does not deal well when things go off of a specific outline. She sighs, leans her head against the passenger side window and closes her eyes trying to erase or at least momentarily forget the memories of the past few days.

"_Sweetheart, why don't you take Rachel to her house and drop her things off there and let her get settled. Then come back here for dinner." Mrs. Fabray said as she entered the living room, her eyes fixed on the luggage by the front door. Quinn glanced from Rachel in confusion to her mother quirking an eyebrow at the woman._

"_Well, mom," Quinn began slowly. "I thought, well more figured that Rach could stay over for the night." She smiled sweetly back at her girlfriend. "I mean, we don't get to see each other much." Mrs. Fabray chuckled but shook her head._

"_Not tonight." Is all she said and Quinn knew that her mother did not mean just that one night, she knew she meant that Rachel could never stay over any night of any week of any year._

Rachel shuffles her feet through the hall of their apartment building behind her friends. The few texts she's sent to Quinn since her departure from Lima only continue to go unanswered. Brittany and Santana enter the apartment chatting away as they head towards their bedroom bags in tow. Rachel figures they are going to get themselves settled and get right back into their routine.

She closes the door behind her and drags her own bag to her room where she proceeds to throw herself onto her bed, prepared to forget about the world around her. Her eyes close and she can only shake her head as visions from her brief moments at the Fabray house come crowding her other thoughts she desperately wishes she could freely think.

"_You must be so anxious for the summer." One of Rachel's father's announced, his focus on the blonde haired girl sitting beside his daughter. Quinn blushed and nods, tucking some stray blonde hairs from her face behind her ear._

"_Yeah, I can't wait." The blonde replied easily bringing her hand back down to her fork to push her food around._

"_Well if you need any help moving I offer you my services." He told her sending her a wink from across the table. Quinn smiled politely, shooting her mother a quick glance catching the bewildered look on the woman's face. Mrs. Fabray turned her attention at her daughter and tilted her head ever so slightly, keeping her smile intact._

"_What is it that is taking place this summer, if I may ask?" The older blonde inquired, eyeing her daughter up carefully noticing the hand that Rachel placed on Quinn's arm from the corner of her eye._

"_Oh, ummm…" Quinn stammered and took a quick sip of her water before clearing her throat. "I decided to move to New York in the middle of the summer." She explained carefully knowing full well she had already told her mother of her plans. "I know it's a little earlier than originally planned but I told you…"_

"_But you're going to school here." Mrs. Fabray shrugged her shoulders, playing the card of confusion all too well. "Seems silly to move to a new city for a few weeks don't you think?" The condescending tone did not fly over the younger blonde's head and both senior Berry's shifted uncomfortably in their chairs._

"_I am going to school here now but, I had planned to transfer next fall to a school in New York. Remember?" Quinn fired back with equal fervor that seemed to catch Mrs. Fabray a little off guard. "We've talked about this a million times. I'm going to school in New York second year of college, moving in with Rach and B and Santana." She rattled off her list of things to do and things that were going to happen but Mrs. Fabray didn't even bat an eye lash._

"_And what?" Mrs. Fabray challenges, reaching forward to grab her glass of wine and leaned back in her chair all too comfortably and cocky. "Play house for a few months until you get sick of each other." She quirked an eyebrow before taking a sip of her third glass of wine and shook her head. "Don't you think you girl's are getting a little ahead of yourselves?" It wasn't a question, it came out more as a statement and everyone at the table was all too well aware not to respond. Mr. Berry cleared his throat and chuckled uncomfortably._

"_Well I think it's about time we call it a night." He smiled politely at the woman sitting at the head of a very long and elegant table, far too big for only her and her daughter. He pushed his chair back and placed the fancy napkin that had been resting on his lap onto the table. "Thank you so much for dinner." He nodded and she smiled back. His husband soon followed suit and the men were about to walk out of the dining room when they realized Rachel was not behind them. "Rachel sweetie?" He called out. Rachel turned to look back at Quinn who smiled weakly and nodded._

"_You should probably go." She rolled her eyes and motioned subtlely towards her mother. "Don't worry, I'll see you later or something." Rachel nodded, stopping herself as she realized she was about to lean in for a kiss. Instead she settled for a hug which Quinn reciprocated and even kissed the brunette's neck out of sight from her mother._

Rachel rolls onto her side and sighs. That night she had gotten a phone call from Quinn who sounded on the verge of tears. Apparently Mrs. Fabray practically forbade her from moving to New York even stooping so low as to threaten to cut her off financially and disown her. Rachel of course, at first anyhow, could not understand the sudden change in Mrs. Fabray.

When the two had first started dating she had seemed happy, proud and well, she never had a problem before. But now, according to Quinn the woman has done a complete 180 and is now opposed to their relationship.

"'_I thought it was just a phase'_." Quinn had said in the way her mother spoke when she was irritated. The woman truly assumed that their relationship was something based on a phase, experimentation and nothing that truly consisted of actual feelings. It had gotten even worse when Brittany and Santana stopped over for breakfast the next morning.

_Santana and Brittany wait on the steps in front of the Fabray front door after ringing the doorbell. They smiled at one another, taking in the beautiful winter air of Lima, Ohio talking about their night before. The door opened rather quickly and they were greeted, sort of, by Quinn herself standing there with no smile on her face, no sign of cheer but a look of sheer frustration, agony and annoyance._

"_Thank God you're here." She said through gritted teeth and grabbed Santana by the arm of her coat._

"_Hey Fabray, watch the leather." Santana hit her friend's hand away and tried to smooth out her coat the whole while sending her girlfriend a semi concerned look._

"_You look…" Brittany titled her head to better inspect the blonde in front of her and nodded once she found the word. "Like crap." Quinn's shoulders dropped and she closed her eyes._

"_I'm exhausted." She muttered, bringing her hand up and pinched the bridge of her nose._

"_Ew, I so do not want to hear about you and Berry getting' your mack on." Santana scrunched her nose in disgust and complete disapproval of having that kind of information shared out loud and more importantly in her presence. Quinn huffed and her eyes popped open staring her friend down._

"_Rachel did not stay here last night." Quinn explained sounding slightly defeated. "My mother has been a complete and utter skank whore." Both Brittany and Santana's eyebrows rose up so high and their mouths dropped. Santana then jutted her lip out and nodded._

"_Skank whore?" She thought over. "I like it, very fitting." She grinned which garnered her an elbow to the side from Brittany. "Ouch, just sayin'."_

"_What happened?" Brittany asked softly moving closer to the other blonde. Quinn looked down to the floor and crossed her arms over her chest._

"_She doesn't want me moving to New York." She admitted so quietly the words were barely heard. "More importantly… she doesn't want me with Rachel." Her eyes slowly lift and meet the gaze of her best friends in front of her._

"_Well… she didn't say that did she?" Santana asked completely taken aback by the straight forwardness of her friend's admission. Glumly, Quinn nodded tucking some hair behind her ear then shook her head._

"_Just when things were going good, school, here even, Rachel… it figures that bad shit has to happen." She mused and moved to lean against the wall behind her._

"_Don't let her negativity get in the way of your happiness Q." Brittany spoke up, taking a step towards her friend. "In the end the only people that matter in your relationship are you and Rachel." She explained, bringing her hand up to the other blonde's shoulder and rubbing it soothingly. Quinn sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand._

"_I know, it's just… it'd be nice if she were on my side for once." She said in a hushed almost embarrassed tone and Santana lowered her gaze to the spot Quinn was standing, for once in her life she had nothing to say._

When Rachel herself arrived for breakfast at the Fabray's it didn't get any better or any less uncomfortable. Actually, Brittany and Santana seemed to get the brunt of Mrs. Fabray's obvious displeasure and irritation slash frustration. The entire breakfast Judy Fabray spent asking the couple questions about the apartment and how had they found a place that had three bedrooms for all of them. Brittany took the floor on that one and pretty much every single question following seeing as Santana had lost her voice somewhere between the front door and everything that Quinn had confessed to them.

But Brittany answered everything gracefully, never letting the proud smile of being Santana's girlfriend leave her face regardless of the judgmental look she kept receiving from Judy. Rachel had decided it best if she left when Santana and Brittany announced they were leaving.

The brunette opens her eyes once again and glances down at her cell phone that has remained in her hand since the car ride from Lima, it's still just as silent as it has been since. No missed calls, text messages… nothing. She groans and closes her eyes once again in the hopes that sleep from a long car ride will take her over and remove the thoughts from her mind.

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><p>Santana is sitting on the bed watching Brittany hang a few things in the closet by the television. She grins to herself and how incredibly amazing her family is and also the blonde's family. Nothing has ever gone so perfect in her life and she wonders if anything in the world can beat it. Internally she curses herself for even having such a thought because she feels as though she has just jinxed herself.<p>

"Babe?" She breaks their comfortable silence and Brittany hums out a questioning response but continues to place her clothes on their hangers and put them in the closet. "I've been thinking…" Santana says, letting her words hang in the air for a few moments and during the silence Brittany looks over her shoulder at her girlfriend. "About what you said, you know, about getting our own place?" She tilts her head waiting for Brittany to remember. The blonde smiles tentatively and nods.

"Yeah." Brittany turns away from the closet and loosely folds her arms over her chest. Santana pushes herself up from the bed and makes her way over to stand in front of Brittany.

"I think we should totally do it." She beams up at her girlfriend and it takes a few seconds for it to sink in but soon enough Brittany is smiling from ear to ear.

"Really?" The blonde nervously asks, almost afraid if she questions the Latina she will change her mind.

"Really." Santana nods, her smile still plastered on her face and she grabs Brittany's hands in her own. "I don't know much… like about what's gonna happen with anything. But what I do know is that I want you and I want you in my future, forever." She brings their hands up and kisses the back of the blonde's. "It's the only thing I'm sure of and the only thing I have ever wanted." Santana admits bashfully but it fades when Brittany presses her body against hers and crashes their lips together.

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><p>The room is in complete disarray, clothes everywhere, hangers on the floor, bags open looking like a bomb went off in them. The comforter is hanging off of the foot of the bed while the sheets are snuggly wrapped around two naked bodies. Legs are tangled, hair is splayed across pillows and hands touch skin delicately. Brittany breathes out softly and smiles as Santana tickles up and down her arm lightly with her fingers. The blonde leans forward and presses her lips to the tanned skin of her girlfriend's shoulder before resting her head once again on the pillow they are sharing.<p>

"You do know that once we have a place of our own I am _never_ wearing clothes again." Santana declares honestly and with a shrug of her shoulders and Brittany grins biting her lower lip.

"I was counting on that." She winks at the Latina who quirks an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" Santana smirks causing Brittany to nod enthusiastically. "What about you?"

"Lots of leather and lace." Brittany tells her in a low seductive voice making Santana chuckle and blush slightly.

"And I'd expect nothing less." They smile warmly at one another, letting their hands continue to caress and lips to kiss bits of skin just to show simple affection. "I love you, you know." Santana says, staring deeply into those blue eyes.

"I love you." Brittany replies easily but with so much feeling it's indescribable. "You're so pretty when we're just lying in bed." She points out, bringing her hand up and running her fingers through Santana's dark hair. "It's just… its breath taking really." Her eyes watch her fingers run through the Latina's hair in amazement and she smiles to herself. "I mean, you're pretty all the time, beautiful actually but here… like right now you're so…" She shakes her head not even planning on finishing her sentence because she can't be bothered to find the words she wants to say and instead settles for pressing her lips softly to Santana's.

Santana feels Brittany end the kiss and she smiles back at her. They are so comfortable and she can honestly picture this for the rest of her life, well, take away the midget living one door down. But this, right here, this moment… this is it for her and she knows it and can feel it in every bone, muscle and any other thing in her body.

"Hey Britt…" She speaks after a few short minutes of silence, her voice cracks nervously. Blue eyes flicker up to meet hers and they sparkle in the late afternoon sun from their bedroom window. "I… I was… I mean, I have a…" She's cut off by the sound of Brittany's phone ringing some annoying ring tone on her side of the bed. Santana groans and rolls over to pick it up from her nightstand and rolls her eyes when she sees the name flashing across the screen. "It's Kurt." She mumbles as she hands over the phone.

"Hi Kurt." Brittany smiles into her greeting which never ceases to make Santana smile, unless it's one of their mother's calling because that usually means they are calling to either check up on them or bestow some parental knowledge of living on your own which grew to be annoying. She notices the blonde's smile fade and her expression turns into one of confusion and then concern and she abruptly sits up. "Okay… when?" She asks and Santana finds herself wondering what kind of conversation is going on. Brittany's eye flicker in her direction momentarily before she looks ahead of her once again at the blank television and she nods once. "Yeah, I'll tell her. I know… she will." Brittany says into the mouthpiece very unlike herself. "Keep me updated and… yeah, I will too. Thanks." She hangs up the phone slowly, sets the phone onto the side table and with her other hand brings the sheet up to cover her chest as she leans back against the head board.

"Is everything alright with Kurt?" Santana asks curiously taking in the pained look on her girlfriends face.

"Umm, yeah he's fine." Brittany says flatly and Santana knows something is up, something most likely big. "Santana," She begins and turns to look at the girl beside her. "Quinn is gone." Santana's eyes widen and she starts to sit up quickly and Brittany puts her hand out and shakes her head. "No baby, not like… from the earth." Santana lets out a sigh of relief, bringing her hand to her chest to calm her heart rate and catch her breath. "She's… Kurt said that Judy hasn't seen her since last night and… some of her clothes are gone. Her car is gone too." She explains slowly as though trying to piece all these clues together. "She ran away." She concludes.


	15. Chapter 15

**_yay update! always fun and exciting:)_**

**_just want to prepare you that this chapter is pretty angsty and it may surprise you to see where it comes from... (insert evil laugh). sorry ;) before i say too much i will leave and let you read on._**

**_review and share your secrets with me_**

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><p>Santana wakes up, not fully though seeing as her eyes are still closed but enough to reach over to touch Brittany only to come up empty. She turns her head to the left and carefully opens her eyes which only confirms the absence of the blonde. Considering the spot on the left side of the bed is cold, Brittany has been away for a while.<p>

The Latina closes her eyes tightly in the hopes of becoming more awake and when they open she glances to the nightstand on Brittany's side to the clock and she groans at the time. She grumbles as she crawls over to Brittany's side and rolls out of bed without much grace. A shiver runs through her at the feeling of the cold wood floor beneath her feet and the not well heated room, instinctively wrapping her arms around herself.

When she reaches the hallway she notices that, minus the darkness, there is light flickering into the hall from the living room. Her eyes look briefly at the door to Rachel's room on her journey. It's closed and the lights are off but she's almost certain that the brunette on the other side of the door is not sleeping.

Even though the television is obviously on the room is still very quiet. Santana stops once she reaches the entrance of the living room at the end of the hallway when she sees her girlfriend. Brittany is sitting on the couch, her legs pulled up to her chest and her head resting on her knees.

Santana shifts from foot to foot before she finally decides to lean over through the entrance of the kitchen to flick the light on. The blonde's head lifts up and she looks over her shoulder, eyes falling on the dark haired girl a few feet behind her.

"It's like three in the morning." Santana comments, squinting her eyes to shield them from the light. Brittany turns her head forward to look at the time on the cable box and nods before glancing back at Santana.

"Did I wake you?" Brittany asks quietly, her eyes on her girlfriend as she walks towards her on the couch.

"The fact that I was alone in our bed woke me up." She explains, taking up the spot right beside Brittany, tucking her foot beneath her.

"Sorry." Brittany mumbles, resting her cheek on her knee and faces the Latina who brings a hand through blonde hair, smiling sweetly.

"No apologies baby." Santana coos, watching her girlfriend close her eyes and sight at the contact. "So…?" She drawls out which gets Brittany to open her eyes once again.

"Can't sleep." She admits in a hushed voice and the Latina nods knowingly. "Something bad could have happened Santana." The blonde points out with concern and Santana can't do or say much except nod in agreement. "Hasn't she gone through enough?" It's not a question she expects her girlfriend to answer but the choked sob in her throat expresses her need for an answer.

"Sweetie," Santana shifts closer to Brittany, draping her arm over her shoulder and pulls her close. "Nothing… Q is safe and she's fine." She reminds the blonde but she knows the facts don't erase the week that had tortured them with their best friend missing. "She's in there," Santana motions over her shoulder. "With Rachel who is taking good care of her." She dips her head to look deeply into those blue eyes.

"Do you think it will _ever_ be easy for her?" Brittany asks sadly and Santana feels her lower lip jut out in a pout but she nods.

"Yeah." A smile comes to her face. "I do." Santana sounds so sure, raising the curiosity in Brittany.

"How do you know?" The blonde wipes under her eyes with the back of her hand, relaxing a bit when she feels Santana's hand rub her back.

"Because babe," The Latina beams at her girl. "She's got you in her life." She scrunches her nose and taps on the blonde's nose with her finger. "And a midget that adores her." Brittany giggles, shaking her head. "See, I made you laugh." Santana flashes her pearly whites proud of herself. "That means everything is okay." The silence takes over them and they just stare back at one another comfortably until Brittany speaks.

"And you." She tells the Latina.

"Hmm?" Santana hums out through her grin.

"You forgot about you, Quinn has _you_ too." Brittany clarifies and leans her body into her girlfriend's.

"Come on Britt, let's get to bed you've got class all day tomorrow." Santana mumbles against the blonde's cheek before kissing her. "And I needs to get my beauty sleep on." Brittany chuckles with a nod and follows Santana back to their bedroom.

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><p>The next morning Brittany and Rachel seem to fall easily into their normal routine, taking turns in the shower and settling together in the kitchen to eat breakfast with one another. They take part in some small talk but for the most part they keep to themselves, Rachel getting lost in a book and Brittany finally shoving her ear buds of her iPod into her ears.<p>

As they start cleaning up they are greeted by a groggy and barely dressed Santana shuffling into the kitchen. Rachel brushes by her to head to her bedroom to say goodbye to Quinn who is still sleeping and Brittany leans back in her chair removing her ear buds and puckering her lips for a morning kiss. Santana steps behind her, places her hands gently on the sides of Brittany's face and leans down to peck her girlfriend mumbling good morning onto her lips.

"Morning to you too." Brittany giggles as Santana sleepily walks further into the kitchen and yanks the coffee pot from the maker filling up her Betty Boop mug.

"See you guys later." Rachel calls out as she rushes through the hallway and out the door in a flash not even giving her friends a chance to respond, but they do anyway even though they know the diva cannot hear them.

"What are we doing with Quinn?" Brittany asks, looking up as her hands wrap the chord of her head phones around her iPod to Santana. The dark haired girl peers over her coffee as she takes the seat across from her girlfriend.

"Umm, she's coming with me to work." She tells the blonde after she swallows the hot liquid and clears her throat. "I'm gonna see if I can get her a job there." She shrugs her shoulders, watching her hand as she places her red Betty Boop mug on the table and twists it around. Brittany nods in approval and tosses her iPod into her duffel bag and gets up from her chair to grab a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Sounds good." Brittany comments shoving the water bottle in the side pocket of her bag and as she turns around to head down the hall her phone buzzes on the table top. "Ugh, can you check that babe I gotta brush my teeth." She calls out over her shoulder, her voice echoing tells Santana she is already in the bathroom. "I'm already running late." Santana chuckles to herself and leans forward to reach Brittany's cell phone.

She slides her thumb across the bottom and puts in her girlfriend's code to come to the main screen and opens the text messages up and her heart drops down into her stomach when she sees the name attached to the new message. She looks up to see that she is still alone in the kitchen and she scrunches her eyebrows together as she brings her thumb over the little envelope to open the message.

"Who is it?" The blonde asks loudly from the bathroom, it sounds kind of mumbled and the Latina figures she's talking with her toothbrush in her mouth.

"Uh…" Santana shakes her head as she reads the message and then tears her eyes away from the screen and clenches her jaw.

"If it's my sister tell her so just e-mail me the pictures and to stop text messaging me them… their annoying and fill up my phone." Brittany tells her girlfriend while walking into the kitchen, toothbrush still in her mouth and she stops when she sees Santana sitting pretty still and very into whatever it is on her phone. "Santana?" Her head tilts to the side and her hand stops moving the toothbrush around her mouth. Santana clears her throat, clears out of the text message which brings her back to the main menu to which the background is a picture of her and Brittany and she tosses it to the middle of the table. "Ummm…?" The blonde eyes her curiously, watching as Santana pushes her chair back, loudly scraping it across the floor and getting up quickly moving to walk by Brittany. "Santana?" Brittany calls out clearer than before, the toothbrush now removed from her mouth.

"Your last class is cancelled." Santana tells her but does not turn around, yet.

"Uh- okay?" Brittany does not understand the problem with her evening class being canceled.

"Brittany?" Her voice is calm, too calm and she slowly turns around. "Why do you have his number in your phone?" The blonde's head jerks back in confusion. 'Who's she talking about?' she thinks to herself. She knows a lot of guys and has a bunch of their numbers in her phone.

"I don't…" She begins, shaking her head from side to side but Santana is quick to cut her off.

"Oh don't play…" The Latina stops herself, sucking her lips in and biting down on them hard not wanting to say something she knows she will regret. She closes her eyes and takes in a few breathes. "Jason," She hisses. "Texted you about class being canceled." Santana explains fully and judging by Brittany's risen eyebrows, the blonde finally understands her girlfriend's sudden mood change.

"Oh." She lets out.

"Oh?" Santana chokes out sounding like a gasp. "Oh?" It comes out a little louder the second time and her eyes narrow on the girl in front of her and her hands find a place on her hips. "You know what?" She shakes her head and waves a hand in the air. "I've gotta get ready for work, I can't deal with this shit now." She goes to turn around but stops when she feels Brittany's hand on her arm and whirls around ripping it away from the blonde.

"It's not what you think." Brittany quickly defends and jumps back when Santana bats her hand away from her.

"I don't know what to think." Santana shouts in faux amusement. "I thought we told each other everything, silly me." She slaps her own forehead and rolls her eyes after the impact. "Please," Her arms outstretch to her side. "Enlighten me Britt." Brittany sighs, tilts her head and lets it dip down a little almost hitting her chest.

"You're over reacting, like a crazy person." Brittany tells her in a calm voice this only causes Santana to laugh, throwing her head back in the process.

"Wow, _great_ explanation B." Santana points menacingly towards her girlfriend, shaking her head in disbelief before turning around and waving her hand behind her. "Better get going or you'll be late to class. We'll deal with this later, maybe." She says without looking back and before Brittany can say anything the sound of their bedroom door echoes into the hallway.

Brittany stands there for a few minutes, toothbrush still in hand and white foam still around her mouth contemplating going in there to clear things up. Instead, she hangs her head, shaking it from side to side and goes back into the bathroom to rinse out her mouth.

* * *

><p>Quinn has been silent for the majority of the morning and afternoon but she reasons that it's been rather easy to be that way considering how non communicative Santana is being. She knew as soon as she found Santana in the kitchen furiously mixing together pancake batter and muttering Spanish expletives under her breath that the Latina was in rare form. Rare form meaning, angry… like really angry and she knows better than to mess with an angry Lopez.<p>

She's actually pretty certain the only words she's heard Santana speak today are the stupid little greetings she has to say to her tables at the restaurant and when she introduced Quinn to her boss explaining how she needs a job. Quinn smirks inwardly every time Santana turns away from one of her tables and the fake smile slides from her face and is replaced with her 'grumpy pants face', as Brittany often refers to it as. Although, if she had to give it a name 'grumpy' was definitely not up to par, girl was far beyond grumpy. Santana's is irate, pissed and homicidal even.

Quinn's even noticed how huffy her friend gets every time she pulls her cell phone from her apron. She was rolling her eyes, shaking her head before hastily shoving it back beside her order book. She tilts her head as she watches her friend move gracefully, despite her attitude, throughout the dining room carrying dishes and trays and glasses to her tables. She smiles when she notices Santana coming her way and the dark haired girl nods.

"You want to order something yet?" Santana asks leaning her hand on the chair across from Quinn.

"Yeah, but I'm just waiting for B to get here." Quinn tells her, waving her cell phone in the air. "She said she's coming her after class and that she doesn't need to rush cause her last class is cancelled." The blonde notices Santana clench her jaw and look down, nodding at the information and Quinn quirks an eyebrow at her observation. "She should be here in a few…" She stops speaking when Santana turns and walks away from her. "Minutes." Her eyes dart down to the phone in her hand and she presses answer. "Hey."

"Hi hun." Rachel greets from the other line and Quinn can tell she is smiling. "How's watching Santana work?" Quinn smirks when she hears her girlfriend chuckle at her own question.

"Oh so much fun." Quinn sarcastically replies, leaning back in her chair but keeping her eyes focused on her fiery friend. "Hey, what the hell happened this morning?" She asks curiously.

"What do you mean?" Rachel answers in confusion racking her brain going over the rather uneventful morning she had.

"Santana's all… mad and her cheeks are red and when she's not gliding from table to table she's stalking around here like she's the T-Rex from Jurassic Park." Quinn explains, her eyes darting around the room as the girl in question carries some plates, picks up cups, brings over napkins, fake smiles and drops a check at three different tables.

"I don't know, maybe she had a bad table?" Rachel offers.

"No, she's been like this since I woke up." Quinn adds. "Hmm, whatever I'm sure I'll find out soon enough. Brittany's meeting me for lunch."

"Oh, doesn't she have class?" Rachel inquires and the blonde can hear the background noise of the city streets beyond her girlfriend's voice.

"It got cancelled."

"Well that's convenient, for you I mean. Now you don't have to sit there for Santana's whole shift by yourself." The diva sighs.

"Yeah… I guess I'll see you later. Brittany just walked in." The blonde lets out, sitting straighter in her chair and eyeing her friend making her way up to the entrance of the restaurant with something interesting in her hands.

"I'll call you when I'm on my way home." The brunette says sweetly and Quinn nods regardless of the fact that her girlfriend can't see her.

"Okay Rach. Bye."

"Bye."

One of Quinn's perfectly shaped eyebrows arch up and she slightly tilts her head as the other blonde girl pulls the glass door open and cautiously looks around with her bag slung over her shoulder and a small bouquet of flowers in her hand. She half smiles to herself, thinking it's cute that her friend is bringing her girlfriend flowers especially when she's having a bad day. The only time her father ever got her mother flowers was when they got into a fight, regardless if he was wrong or right he would bring her flowers home to rectify things. For a moment she wonders if perhaps her friends had a fight but is quick to push that thought aside figuring Santana and or Brittany would have told her about it.

She watches as Santana drops off drinks at one of her tables and moves to walk back around to one of the computers, probably to put an order in, but she stops when she spots the blonde with the flowers standing by the hostess stand. Surprisingly, the Latina does not look all that happy to see Brittany or the flowers and she slowly walks over towards her girlfriend with her arms crossed over her chest.

Brittany grips the bottom of the bouquet with both hands, nervously turning it from side to side eyeing it up to make sure they were perfect. She doesn't meet Santana's eyes right away, unsure of what she is going to be met with. The blonde chews on her lower lip and extends her arms offering the flowers to the shorter girl.

"These are for you." Brittany says softly finally looking up to Santana's eyes that are looking at the flowers blankly. "I'm sorry about what happened this morning." She lowers her head but keeps her gaze on the girl before her. "It's been eating at me all day, I couldn't concentrate in any of my classes." Santana doesn't uncross her arms, not even making a move to take the flowers being offered to her and Brittany finally pulls them back closer to her own body and her shoulders slump. "Are you gonna say anything?" She asks fidgeting with the stems of the bouquet.

"No." Santana tells her sternly, bringing her eyes up to meet blues and steps a little bit closer to Brittany. "Because if I say something I am most likely going to yell and if I yell I will cause a scene." She explains herself in a quiet voice and glances over her shoulder to where her manager is standing talking to the bartender and then turns back to her girlfriend. "And if I cause a scene I will most likely get fired." She takes a deep breath to keep herself calm. "We are _not _going to do this here and how _dare_ bring this shit to my job. Trying to ambush me into submission." Brittany tilts her head in confusion and her eyes flicker down to the flowers still in her hand and her fingers fix some of the petals that are not perfectly placed. "I may be easy, but I'm not _tha_t easy Brittany." She hisses through her teeth and Brittany's head snaps up locking eyes with the Latina.

The confrontation looked intense but Quinn could not tear her eyes away and she kind of wishes she was able to hear what they were saying. But judging from the way Santana dismissed the flowers and the blonde and the look on Brittany's face right now as she walks over towards Quinn it wasn't good. The flowers are now hanging upside down by Brittany's side when she stops in front of her friends table and her eyes are downcast.

"I bet you're sick of sitting here all day, let's order in and watch movies." Brittany suggests obviously crestfallen and Quinn is not about to ask questions, not here anyway. So she nods and pushes her chair back and gets up grabbing her bag she had hanging on the back.

"See you later S." She calls out over her shoulder and waves at her friend who gives her a nod but no smile.

The first few minutes of the walk back to the apartment are quiet, even the city noises can't take away the obvious tension cloud looming over Brittany and the upside down flowers in her hand. Quinn twists her lips wondering how she should broach the situation and even if she is supposed to. Before she knows it her hand is wrapping around Brittany's that's wrapped around the bouquet and she lifts them up and brings them close to her nose taking in a big whiff.

"Mmm, these are nice flowers Britt-Britt." She offers her friend a soft smile but the one Brittany sends back lacks the sunshine her smiles usually exude and Quinn racks her brain on what to say next. "Guess S doesn't really have a place to put em' while she's at work huh?" She laughs out of nervousness and uncertainty and the shrug Brittany gives is not hopeful. "How 'bout when we get home we put em' in a nice vase and set it up on the kitchen table?" She nudges her shoulder into Brittany's and finally gets a positive response, a nod.

* * *

><p>It's about an hour later until Rachel returns home to find her girlfriend and her blonde roommate lounging out on the couch watching The Hills on DVD with Chinese food boxes lined up on the coffee table. They glance over their shoulders and greet the diva as she rids herself of her school books and bag along with her jacket she hangs up on the coat rack.<p>

"I'm going to take a shower. Though I enjoy the city streets in all its… well, uniqueness… I feel rather gross from pushing my way through dirty people all day long." She announces, leaning down to give Quinn a quick kiss before heading down the hall to the bathroom.

Both of the blonde's immediately turn their attention back to the screen getting sucked in right away as soon as Heidi Montag comes on screen with her annoying boyfriend Spencer. Quinn makes sounds of disgust and annoyance every time the guy opens his mouth and she rolls her eyes at how dim the blonde bimbo is about her boyfriend.

An hour and a half after Rachel came home Brittany expects to hear the door to their apartment open any minute, even glancing over her shoulder every few seconds when she hears any noise from the hallway. But an hour after her girlfriends expected time of arrival Santana has still not walked through the door. Quinn has long since left her on the couch to go and hang out with Rachel in the brunette's room and she's being kept company by her friends from The Hills Season 2.

She doesn't realize the time ticking by because when Quinn's head pops over the back of the couch she's lying on her back clutching the pillow to her chest. Startled, she sits up a little and looks to the numbers on the cable box and sees that it's been well over four and a half hours since Santana was supposed to be home. Her lips twist in thought and she wonders if her girlfriend simply picked up a night shift, maybe to give herself some more time to think and or be away from Brittany. That thought sucks and makes the blonde's stomach sink.

"BB, we're going to bed." Quinn softly tells her friend, bringing her hand up to Brittany's hair and smoothing it out. Brittany nods, clears her throat and reaches between her body and the couch for the bottle of water she had apparently been lying beside and takes a sip of it. "You should get to bed soon too." Her lower lip pops out, frowning slightly. "I'm sure she'll be home soon. You sitting up is just going to stress you out."

"But…"

"I'm sure she's fine." Quinn shakes her head before Brittany can even begin to list 'what if's'. "You guys got into a fight right?" It's the first time Quinn is bringing it up and Brittany looks away from her and nods. "She probably just needs to cool off, you know how she is." She shrugs her shoulders and leans forward to press a kiss to her friend's forehead. "Promise me you'll go to bed soon." Brittany nods and when she hears Quinn's feet disappear into Rachel's room she drops back onto the pillow she'd been lying on and closes her eyes.

The next time she opens her eyes the room is pretty dark and she assumes that Quinn or Rachel had come out and shut them off. Her eyes open wide and she focuses on the ceiling for a few seconds to set her eyes to the darkness this way she can move around without bumping into things and head to bed. She must have fallen asleep a while ago because she isn't hearing anymore talking or noises coming from Rachel's room down the hall.

When she turns on her side to roll off of the couch she nearly jumps back into the back of the couch, she gasps and her hand comes to her chest. Right there on the coffee table is Santana sitting there with an elbow resting on her knee and her chin in her hands and she is staring right back at Brittany. The blonde clears her throat and once her heart rate changes from 'I just got the shit scared out of me' and is now 'prepare body to deal with the wrath of Santana' she sits up and sits across from the Latina who lifts her head from her hand and straightens her posture.

"It's late." Brittany comments quietly glancing over Santana's shoulder at the time on the cable box and the other girl simply nods. "Where have you been?" She asks and for some reason Santana shakes her head. "Did you pick up a night shift?" The blonde inquires curiously but again the dark haired girl remains quiet and her facial expression stays the same, pretty blank. Her blue eyes flitter around the figure of the girl on the coffee table, the silence completely over powering. "Are you going to give me the silent treatment _all_ night?" Something in Santana's eyes flicker, that much Brittany can see in the dark room thanks to the dim light above the stove in the kitchen. They continue to stare at each other for a while, a couple of minutes until Brittany shakes her head and sighs in frustration. "Fine, be broody and mad and silent. I'm going to bed." She says not even trying to mask her annoyance and she pushes herself up from the couch.

"Sit down." Santana finally breaks her silence. Brittany's head snaps in her direction, her brow furrowed and her lips slightly parted.

"You don't say _one _word to me for like… the _whole_ day." Brittany reminds her as she turns around and crosses her arms. "You embarrass me when I come into Nelson's with fucking flowers for you and then you don't come home for hours leaving me here thinking something horrible has happened to you." She cries out but manages to keep her voice pretty low considering she does have roommates. "And when you _do_ come home and finally talk to me you _command_ me?" She spits out fully irritated and shakes her head.

"Please." Santana's voice lowers and it cracks and her eyes fall to her hands where her fingers are fidgeting with the silver bracelet on her wrist.

Brittany swallows hard as she brings herself back to the couch to the spot she was sitting in before. The blonde sees her girlfriend's chin quiver, she thinks, and her mouth is opening and closing a bunch of times, her eyes never leaving her fingers fiddling with the charm on her bracelet. Santana clears her throat and sniffles, trying her best to keep it as quiet as possible and she lifts her head to look at Brittany.

"Santana?" The blonde's voice shakes and she leans forward a little wanting to reach out to her girlfriend but holding back not wanting to be rejected.

"Are you…" Her voice fails her and she turns her head to the side almost ashamed for what she is about to ask. Clearing her throat once again she straightens her back and looks back at Brittany. "Have you…?" Her eyes plead with Brittany in hope that she won't have to continue speaking.

"Have I what baby?" Brittany whines out, shuffling closer to the edge of the couch and reaches out for Santana's hands but the Latina's pulls them away too quick for her.

"Cheating on me?" Santana jumps up from her seat on the coffee table, practically shouting the words in Brittany's face no longer to hold on to her emotions and keep them in check.

Brittany's head jerks back and her eyes widen and after a few moments she slowly gets up from the couch and stares at her girlfriend who is trying her hardest to breathe calmly. The blonde shakes her head furiously, eyes searching those brown eyes and willing them to believe her and for everything to be okay. Santana's swallows the lump in her throat and nods a few times tearing her eyes away from Brittany's and she mouths 'okay'.

She looks back into those blue eyes that are glimmering from what she can tell thanks to the stove light and she clenches her jaw tightly, biting down a couple of times in thought. Brittany can tell she is replaying all of her previous thoughts throughout the day trying to find any other questions.

"How could you… do you really think I would do that?" The blonde asks, obviously feeling offended by such an accusation. All Santana offers is an uncertain shrug, shake of the head mixed with a nod and another shrug of her shoulders as she shifts from foot to foot.

"I don't go to your evening dance classes anymore." Santana says calmly, sounding like she's saying it to herself and not to Brittany. "Is… _he_ still there?" She asks through clenched teeth. This is where Brittany takes in a gasp of air and her mouth hangs open, her eyes widen briefly but it does not go unnoticed by Santana whose head tilts at the action. "He's still teaching your class?" She shakes her head in disbelief. "You lied to me."

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: okay so, i just want to say that i am not going to just leave the Quinn situation untouched... i am not pulling a RIB with inconsistency... word. please don't be mad for the 'drama' between Santana and Brittany because lets be serious here, the angst is always fun because after the angst is always delicious and good. also, angels. (couldn't help myself)_**

**_love you guys_**


	16. Chapter 16

**_sorry for the wait, but i'm hoping this chapter is worth it. thank you all so much for the reviews, they really do mean a lot._**

**_OH and before i forget a wonderful person has created a wonderful thing and it makes me so happy and so honored that they took the time to do this. watup2mycup posted a pic they created and it's from 'when skies are grey', the first edition of this saga. it came out amazing! and i absolutely love it so i want to share it with you fine peeps. so i'll post this link under this rant. just so you know, it's from a scene from chapter 32 of 'when skies are grey'. and again, thanks watup2mycup for doing that... its awesome!_**

**_read and review:)_**

**_a/n: ok i like edited this a bunch of times it will not let me post the link so im gonna try and post it on my tumblr account... summerkid12_**

* * *

><p>"You lied to me." Santana whispers, her hand comes up to quickly wipe the single tear that is trailing down her cheek. Brittany takes a step forward in the attempt to reach out to her girlfriend but the Latina stumbles back into the coffee table bringing her hands up in protest. "Don't,"Shaking her head. "Touch me." She pleads her voice small and almost quiet.<p>

"I didn't lie to you Santana." Brittany defends, shaking her head from side to side but her eyes not meeting the brown eyes of the girl in front of her. "I just…" Santana lets out a chuckle, she's not really amused in the slightest and it's more of a defense mechanism.

"You just what?" She challenges, her eyes flitting back and forth between those two deep blue's staring back at her.

"I…" The blonde stammers and shifts from foot to foot averting her eyes from Santana's. "See when you…we…" Santana huffs and brushes by Brittany just needing to put a little more distance between their bodies. "Santana, stop. Just let me… I'm trying to explain." The Latina whips her body around to face her girlfriend throwing her arms out.

"Well, why don't you _try_ using _fucking words_!" She screams out into the dark apartment, her voice bellowing into the hallway.

"Stop yelling at me." Brittany demands and bunches her hands into fists at her sides.

"Stop avoiding the question!" Santana shouts back running her fingers through her dark hair and tugging at it in frustration. After the echoing of her voice stops the two stare at one another, Santana's chest heaving as she tries her best to keep calm and Brittany's eyes watering for fear of being misunderstood.

"When I told you I was going to tell my instructor about Ja…" She pauses, realizing that the name that is on the tip of her tongue should probably not be said and she closes her mouth to rid her vocabulary of the name. "_Him_." She fixes and looks up to meet Santana's eyes. "Because like I said, if I were in your shoes I would expect the same of you." Her shoulders shrug and she rests her hand on the back of the couch for the stability her legs are not providing her. "And I had every intention of telling the department and Bernie about what had happened." She continues to explain and the room she realizes is completely silent, even though she is speaking she could hear a pin drop. "But,"

"I'm sorry Brittany I just don't see where a 'but' falls into this equation." Santana interrupts frantically as her arms come across her chest.

"You just don't understand." The blonde tries once again but her voice fails to be strong. "There are people in my classes who have been dancing so much longer than I have. It's so hard to make something of this kind of life and one false move, one mistake can literally ruin everything." Brittany exclaims slightly louder catching Santana's full attention. "Like I tried to tell you, I don't feel right ruining someone's career and hard work over something that didn't even happen." She shakes her head because she already knows that no matter what she says she's not going to get through to Santana.

"Stop worrying about _everyone_ else and worry about _yourself!_" The Latina tells her through gritted teeth.

"I _am_." The blonde shrieks throwing her hands up in the air. "But it's kind of hard when all I do is worry about how my decisions are going to affect you." Her hand covers her mouth as soon as the words leave her lips and her eyes go wide. Santana stands there, shocked and she is so taken aback by Brittany's words she chuckles at her bluntness.

"Wow Britt, tell me how you _really_ feel." She spits out.

"Santana I didn't mean it like that." Brittany quickly blurts out hoping to rectify the situation seeing as she has only made things worse. The shorter girl's arms fall to her side, shoulders slump and she stares at Brittany.

"I… uh…" Santana stammers, runs her fingers through her hair and glances over her shoulder to the cable box to check the time or to at least look at something other than the blonde in the room with her. Turning her head forward again her eyes fall onto the couch as she contemplates her next move or words or both. "It's, um, late like you said." Her eyes flicker to Brittany but she doesn't keep her gaze on the girl. She motions with her arms towards the hallway and finally removes her feet from the spot she's been stuck on and shuffles against wood. Passing Brittany, who is standing by the kitchen Santana turns around in the hallway finding the blonde still in the same place. "Are you comin' to bed?"

Brittany looks up at Santana, her eyes sparkling from the stove light with tears and she nods softly. Slowly, she follows the Latina down the hallway and into their bedroom and for the first time in such a long time Brittany finds herself nervous going to bed with her best friend.

* * *

><p>"I've never heard her yell like that at Brittany before." Rachel comments in a hushed tone, tossing nervous glances over her shoulder as she prepares her and Quinn's coffee. The blonde lowers her eyes, her head and her torso until she rests her chin onto the table in the kitchen.<p>

"It sounded pretty bad last night." Quinn notes rather quietly but the brunette hears her and nods her head in agreement. "I felt like I was at home when my parents found out I was pregnant." She laughs even though the whole situation, both situations are far from humorous and when it subsides she pouts.

Before either one of them can continue their conversation of the events from the night prior Santana comes into the kitchen. Her hair is a mess, her clothes are crumpled and she has her sunglasses on which prompts Quinn and Rachel to eye her and each other suspiciously. They watch the Latina grab a bottle of water from the refrigerator, move to the sink and grab the bottle of Advil on the shelf above the faucet opening it with much difficulty and pours a few pills into her hands. In one swift motion she tosses them to the back of her throat and washes them down with the water.

Santana turns around, leans against the sink with her water bottle still in hand and neither girl can tell if she is looking at them or not so they turn their attention away. But then all three turn their heads towards the entrance of the kitchen when they hear footsteps even though they all know who is going to come around the corner. Brittany comes in slowly and silently, her arms wrapped around her midsection, her eyes looking down standing there in a pair of Santana's sweatpants and t-shirt.

"Morning BB." Quinn greets with a soft smile. Brittany only halfway meets her eyes seeing as they are too busy seeking out Santana who sighs, pushes herself away from the sink and rests her water bottle on the counter.

"I'm going in the shower." She mumbles under her breath walking by the couple and then brushing past Brittany who is still standing in the doorway. The blonde flinches when she hears the bathroom door shut louder than it should and Quinn and Rachel watch her move further into the kitchen without much purpose.

"Dumb question but, you okay?" Quinn breaks their silence, her question obviously aimed at the other blonde in the room. Brittany takes a seat across from Rachel and Quinn and shakes her head, pout in place. "Fight?" Brittany solemnly nods and rests her chin in her hand and her elbow onto the table. "Anything we can do to help?" Brittany's lips twist in thought as she mulls it over and opens her mouth to respond but nothing comes out.

* * *

><p>Another day gone with Santana giving Brittany the cold shoulder no matter what the blonde did to try to mend things. Every sentence she started began with 'I'm sorry' which only put Santana more on edge because it only proved to her that even Brittany knew she was wrong for keeping this from her.<p>

The night isn't any better than last night and they go about their routine in complete silence. Brittany, from her spot in their bed, looks to the bedroom door as it opens finding Santana shuffle inside slowly dressed in her pajamas. The blonde swallows hard noting that her girlfriend had changed her outfit in the bathroom seeing as she is holding her jeans and top she had been wearing earlier.

With clenched teeth, biting down every few seconds so hard the muscles are twitching, Santana tosses her dirty clothes against their closet door and moves to her side of the bed. Brittany watches her every move as she lifts the covers and carefully situates herself making enough distance between them. The blonde sighs audibly when her girlfriend turns onto her side, facing her back to her and leans up to shut off her lamp on the bedside table.

"Goodnight." Brittany says softly and shimmies under the covers herself leans over on her side to shut her lamp off as well then lies back down on her back.

She doesn't get a response from the dark haired girl and the only comfort she can find tonight seems to be the heavy breathing from Santana and the way the ceiling looks in the darkness. Movement from beside her catches her attention but she's too emotionally exhausted to pay much mind to it, figuring Santana is just getting comfortable. But then she hears it. That sound Santana makes when she is going to say something extremely profound or ask a really important question, that deep breath that she holds in for what feels like forever, as though tasting the words on her tongue before speaking them aloud.

"Why do you have his number stored in your phone?" She speaks and Brittany for one is taken aback by it.

It's so quiet, like a whisper but she hears it anyway. And it's kind of sad and almost defeated and she can't deny that she is the reason and cause. The silent seconds tick by and if they had a standard clock in the room both girls are certain it would be echoing off of their walls. Brittany continues to stare up at the ceiling, trying desperately to find the words to answer her girlfriend because she knows that whatever it is that she comes up with herself will not only not be good enough but it will probably only make things worse.

"I said why do you…" Brittany cuts Santana off when she goes to repeat herself but with a louder and more frustrated tone in her voice.

"I heard you." The blonde informs her honestly. A huff escapes the Latina's lips and all Brittany can do to keep herself from crying and shouting is to close her eyes tightly and swallow a few times to prepare her voice.

"So then answer me." Santana demands. But even now, when Brittany even knows how harsh she is trying to be know that it's all wrong. She can't be mean or cold, truly anyhow, to the blonde and that, Santana thinks to herself, is the worst part of all. She's hurt and she doesn't even feel like she can find it in her to be her ruthless cold hearted self to the girl in bed beside her.

"You aren't going to like the answer." Brittany admits matter of factly and this only prompts Santana to snort out a sarcastic chuckle.

"Just fucking tell me already." She hisses into the darkness fighting with herself to stay with her back turned to the blonde. Brittany jerks her head back into her pillow, shocked at the way Santana is speaking to her. "Just get it over with." Santana pleads the words a little softer than before. Brittany takes in a deep breath and turns on her side to face the back of her dark haired girlfriend, fighting against the hand that wants to come up and run her fingers through her hair.

"Instead of going to the department right away or Bernie I…" Her eyes travel up and down her girlfriend's back wishing she would turn over so she could see her face. "I needed to talk to _him_ myself. Straighten things out… clear the air." No sounds come from the other side of the bed so Brittany nods to herself, encouraging herself to go on. "I asked a few other kids from my class if they knew how I could get in touch with him and luckily one girl had his number."

"_Shocker_." Santana mumbles under her breath but seeing as the room was still with silence it went straight to the blonde's ear. Brittany ducks her head at the low blow and tucks a few stray hairs behind her ear.

"So… she gave me his number, I put it in my phone and then I called him up to set up a meeting." She further explains and she can see Santana's shoulders tense from above the covers. "We went to the café at school and…"

"Sounds like a fuckin'date Brittany." The Latina blurts out. Brittany's eyebrows furrow because the way Santana spoke made is sound like she is going to cry. She knows her sounds well.

"Come on Santana," Brittany's voice softens as she says her girlfriend's name as she shifts the way her hand holds her head up. "Stop it." There's a sniffle from the other side of the bed but other than that Santana says nothing and Brittany's heart hurts just a little bit more. "I told him that what he did was very inappropriate and that he's lucky I didn't go straight to the dean of the school to report him."

"Dick."

"I explained to him that not only am I not even remotely interested in him like that but that I am in a very committed relationship with a girl I love very much." She smiles at the back of Santana's head hoping, willing her to turn around. But that doesn't happen. "Of course he apologized but I…" Santana cuts her off once again.

"So let me just go through the facts, make sure I've got everything straight." She growls bringing her hands up to rub her eyes with heels of her palm and sliding her hands down her cheeks as she gathers her thoughts. "_You_ told _me_ you were going to tell your instructor, report that douche to the department, whatever." Brittany stays still for a few seconds but hums 'mhmm' when she realizes Santana is waiting for some sort of a response. "Okay," The Latina nods and begins to sit up and then set her back up against the headboard prompting the blonde to do the same. "However, _you_ failed to do so and left me to believe that this was all taken care of and then go off and have some super secret meeting about it… behind my back again."

"Santana, did you even hear a word I said?" Brittany slaps her own thighs out of sheer frustration and whips her head in the Latina's direction. "I seriously think you're over reacting here." The blonde moves her back from the headboard and sits facing Santana instead and the Latina reaches to turn her lamp on and then leans her head up to the ceiling.

"Brittany!" This time when she yells both girls' are pretty sure that the other occupants of the apartment are now awake if they already weren't. "_You lied to me_."

"But I _didn't_…" She tries to reason but according to Santana's face she isn't accepting the response. "I just… didn't tell you." Her voice lowers as she realizes that this is not doing anything for her case.

"That is lying by omission!" Santana points at her accusingly, her eyes wide and her eyebrows to her hairline. But when Brittany's head tilts to the side in confusion she huffs and lowers her hand. "Meaning, by withholding the truth you were lying to me." She explains and the blonde nods her head slowly. "Is this how it's gonna be?" Her voice sounds defeated and it catches Brittany off guard. "Cause if it is I need to know now." She shakes her head a little and looks off to the side by her bedside table.

"Santana what are you talking about?" Brittany tentatively shifts forward on the bed trying to catch her girlfriend's eyes.

"You're dancing on one side and me on the other." She explains vaguely. "Because it shouldn't be a choice, there are no choices… I've never asked you to make a choice about anything." The Latina squirms around in her spot finally bringing her head forward and letting it fall into her hands. "I always take you into consideration," She glances away from her hands at the blonde. "Because you are important to me and I love you and because we are an 'us'. But," Her head falls into her hands and she shuts her eyes tightly doing her best not to cry.

"No 'but's' baby," Brittany doesn't share the same embarrassment her girlfriend does when it comes to showing her emotions and she openly cries and moves to sit closer to the girl. "The reason I didn't tell you was because I knew you'd be mad." She sobs quietly as Santana continues to shake her head before tossing the covers off of her body and getting out of the bed.

Brittany watches Santana move around the room, opening their closet up and reaching up for a sheet, then taking the quilt hanging on the chair and then finally walking back over to grab her pillow. When she gets to the door she turns back around to look at the blonde but she can't so she looks at everywhere around her instead.

"I just need a night." Santana tells her before opening the door and walking out, shutting it behind her.

* * *

><p>Brittany wakes up alone and the weight in her chest grows back when she realizes that last night and the night before were not a horrible nightmare. She changes slowly in their room, slips on her work out sneakers and throws her hair in a loose pony tail before heading out into the world that exists outside of these four walls.<p>

The apartment is quieter than usual but she doesn't really expect for there to be a party going on, but at least some chatter would be nice. Rachel's bedroom door is open and no one is in there which tells her she has over slept. It's funny though, to her anyway, because she doesn't feel like she has slept one wink the past two days and she wonders if there is such a thing called 'under slept'.

The kitchen is empty as well and the room connected to it, the living room is also void of any of her roommates but more importantly, no Santana. The sheets are folded neatly on the couch with the quilt folded as well and the pillow on top. Her fingers play with the corners of the pillow case and she knows that Santana is very upset considering the girl is the messiest person she knows. When she's stressed, she either shops or cleans.

She glances at the time on the cable box and sighs seeing as she has ten minutes to get to class. So with no hop in her step she grabs her keys and her bag and heads out for another horribly silent day.

* * *

><p>Santana walks into the park looking for an unoccupied bench, coffee in hand and her cell phone in the other. It's still relatively cold but she's hoping that the chilly air will prove to aid in clearing her mind, it can't hurt, right? But as she moves through tiny clusters of vendors and the people waiting on line she notices that her usual bench is taken. In mid huff she jerks her head back and realizes that it's quite possible that she knows who is sitting in her spot.<p>

As she gets closer she rolls her eyes, sighs and stops in front of the blonde haired girl sitting on her bench. Quinn looks up from her magazine, places it on her lap, lifts up her sunglasses and crosses her arms. She smirks at her friend, eyes her up and down then holds her hand out for the coffee.

"Why are you here?" Santana asks with mild irritation seeing as her plan for some alone time thinking has been crashed by none other than Quinn Fabray.

"Psh, why do you think?" It's a rhetorical question and she reaches forward to grab the coffee from Santana, pats the spot beside her and pulls her shades back over her eyes. "The real question here is what the hell took you so long?" She chuckles at herself only getting a small grin from Santana who finally takes a seat next to her.

"We're not gonna beat around the bush are we?" Santana asks with mild hesitation and curiosity, she already knows the answer here. Quinn licks the foam from her lips as she shakes her head.

"Hell to the no S. We are diving right into this mother." She glances over to her friend who nods in understanding, a smirk playing at her lips at the blonde's choice of words.

"I'm really diggin' your NYC slang Fabray." Santana comments.

"Hey," Quinn points her finger at the other girl. "No changing the subject, not even compliments can save you." They both giggle into the winter air, letting is settle around them into the pre-snowy quiet.

"I overreacted." Santana blurts out and Quinn notes how awkward those words sound coming out of the Latina's mouth but that does not stop her from agreeing.

"This is true." She states factually, Santana side eyes her quick response.

"And I…" She shakes her head, stammering and stuttering with her words not being able to form a complete sentence because these kinds of words are so foreign to her. "I was just…"

"Just say it, you are _so_ insecure." Quinn spits out but it's not harsh or mean but a mere fact. After a few moments of silence Quinn tears her eyes from the little kids playing a few feet in front of them and looks at Santana. "Say it." Santana's head falls and her chin comes to her chest. "We both know it's true."

"If she would have just told me to begin with then I never would have…" The Latina begins to ramble using her hands as she speaks.

"Acted so immature." Quinn cuts in.

"But she kept it from me because she thought…"

"You'd overreact, which you did, because you're insecure, which you are." The blonde jumps in once again, clearly not holding anything back. After another sip of coffee she sets the cup down by her feet and turns in her seat to face Santana and once again lifts her sunglasses and squints from the days brightness. "Brittany would never cheat on you. Sometimes, when we love someone, we want to keep them from hurting and sometimes we need to keep things from said person in order to do so." She shrugs her shoulders, quickly glancing at the children playing. "It's not lying and it's not meant to be conniving or secretive." She explains.

"But we tell each other everything." Santana reasons which only garners a sigh and an eye roll from her friend.

"Of course you guys do and you should. But," She takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly and watches the white cloud escape into the air. "You like to live in this bubble, ever since you and Brittany got together. Like nothing can touch you guys and you've pretty much succeeded." Quinn points out and Santana nods at the information. "But you've been lucky with that. The thing is, you're not in that bubble forever, somehow and someway the world bursts into that bubble and things are gonna get in the way. Just life shit. Some of it's annoying, horrible, hurtful and sad and you'll get angry about it. But most of it will be amazing and those are the things that you need to focus on. So this stupid asshole tried to mack it to your chica." Santana grins at her friends terminology and shakes her head. "But Britts regulated before anything could happen." She shrugs her shoulders again. "So who gives a shit? Brittany is a hot piece of ass and has an amazing personality it only makes sense that people are gonna wanna hit that." Santana nods and rolls her eyes. "But the fact of the matter is that she's yours. And that's all there is to it at the end of the day. She comes home to you every single day and night and I know for a fact that that is her number one."

"Yeah." Santana sighs out.

"Should she have told you about this crap?" Quinn asks out loud. "Yes, I do think she should have. Especially since it had already been an issue. But she didn't and you really can't blame her for her reasons as to why she made her decision."

"So… I'm the wrong one."

"Neither of you are really wrong but neither of you are really right."

"Listen Yoda, I can only handle so many of your word puzzles in one session." Santana groans.

"Don't blow up when things don't go your way. Listen to her when she tries to explain. You're intimidating sometimes when you're angry or upset it makes it hard to form a coherent sentence or thought. So give her a moment." The Latina lowers her eyes. "You can't help how you feel S and I'm not telling you to let everything slide but you've got to learn how to control your _reactions_. You jump to conclusions way too quickly." Quinn explains further. "It's like you're afraid of something, like you think Brittany is gonna leave you or something."

* * *

><p>Santana calls in sick to work and spends most of the day walking around. She stops at a few shops, not really to make any purchases but more to not think about everything. Quinn is right and there is no fighting anyone on that. Santana has insecurities but she is only human.<p>

She's had her fair share of let downs that it's hard for a badass chick from Lima, Ohio to have an optimistic outlook on life. But then the Latina finds herself stopping in front of a display case at a small shop about fifteen minutes from their apartment. It's a small photography shop and has portraits propped up for people to see as they pass by.

Everyone in the pictures are smiling, laughing and holding on to each other. She lets out a sigh, a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding on to. She wondered what it was that was making those people so happy, smile so big and want to be that close to the people they were in the shot with. Everyone has to have a reason to be that happy right?

Of course though, she thinks to herself. Even though it's tiny, like the smallest of a shard there ever were, she does have some optimism in her life. There's a reason that this girl from the wrong side of the tracks of Lima was able to get out and more importantly had the strength to get out and it took the form in that of a blonde who was like the sunlight. Always there even when it's cloudy.

And that's where she realizes Quinn is 100% right about Santana Lopez.

* * *

><p>Santana gets a text message from Quinn on her way back to the apartment telling her that they are worried about her because she's been gone all day. She checks the time and realizes that it's already 9:30pm and can't believe how long she's been wandering around the city streets. Sending a quick reply she assures the blonde that she's fine and is actually on her way home and to stop worrying. She gets a fast response that Quinn is relieved and that she and Rachel are heading to bed but that Brittany is waiting up for her. With a deep breath she sends a 'goodnight' text and continues down the block that leads her to the front doors of their apartment.<p>

The halls are quiet, not surprising seeing it's a weeknight. Her keys echo off of the walls, jingling from side to side as she opens the door. She's not at all surprised to find Brittany sitting on the couch with the television on and the sound down low. The blonde glances over her shoulder, her eyes landing on the Latina and Santana can't help but notice how tired and sad those blues are.

She nods in Brittany's direction as she walks in shutting the door behind her and placing her keys down onto the table by the coat rack. Removing her jacket and hanging it up she turns to face the blonde who has turned around in her spot on the couch. They stare at one another for a long few minutes before the blonde pushes herself up from the couch and walks towards Santana. The Latina goes to open her mouth to speak but then Brittany falls to her knees at Santana's feet and grabs at her hands taking them in her own trying to meet those brown eyes.

"I know I'm stupid for doing that, but I thought I was keeping you from getting sad, mad and all those other not nice feelings." Unable to lock eyes with her girlfriend she instead lets her head fall to their hands and cries. A strangled sob or grunt or groan comes out from above the blonde's head and she looks up to find Santana crying and she finally realizes that the Latina is holding her hands in return. Santana tugs at her hands pulling her back to her feet and looks her right in the eyes.

"I'm sorry." Santana's tears are streaming down her face and falling onto her shirt and she sniffles trying to control herself but is failing to do so. "I'm such a bitch and you're… you're not s-stupid Britt." She shakes her head lifting a hand to cup the blonde's cheek and looks into her eyes even though her tears are making Brittany's face blurry. "I was just afraid my mom… that she was right that we're _not_…" She swallows the lump in her throat and blinks the tears from her eyes. "I want us to be honest with each other, even if it's something," She tilts her head and presses her lips to Brittany forehead. "Don't be afraid to tell me anything."

"I'm not afraid of you honey." Brittany leans in and up to wrap her arms around her girlfriend's neck and pulls her close until Santana's mouth is sputtering some more words into her neck. "And if I ever did have to choose," She pulls back to lock eyes with the Latina. "It's you." She smiles weakly, her lower lip quivering. "You should know that by now." Santana loses it and throws her head back against Brittany's neck and sobs away apologizing for being so hard and cold and thick headed. "What?" The blonde asks when the other girl says something she doesn't quite pick up on.

"I said I…" She trails off again causing the blonde's eyebrows to furrow.

"Hmm? One more time."

"I said I'm getting my period! So I'm pre-menstrual." She yells out but not menacingly as she had been earlier and Brittany can't help the giggle that pops out of her mouth. "And so I'm an over emotional-crying-super-bitch instead of the crabby regular bitch I usually am." She lifts her shirt to her eyes to wipe her tears away and sniffs hard to clear her sinuses so that she can speak clearly. With her throat cleared she stands up straighter and takes Brittany's hands in hers bringing them up and between their bodies. "I love you so much and I am so sorry for giving you the silent treatment and all that other shit." Brittany nods, still teary eyed and shakes her head too not really sure how to respond.

Santana's eyes flicker from glassy blue eyes and quivering lips and without wasting another second she pulls her hands from Brittany's, grips the back of the blonde's head and crashes their lips together. Brittany's knees instantly fall weak and is thankful that Santana's body catches her when she falls forward.

"I love you." Santana says through kisses, pressing their bodies closer together, her hands moving from behind Brittany's head and down to her side to pull them flush together. "I love you so much." She whispers into Brittany's mouth while she spins them around and walks the blonde back into the table by the coat rack.

The table hits the wall making a thud noise and the keys on top of it jingle around. She swipes her hand across the top knocking anything and everything on the table to the floor before bringing her hands to the back of Brittany's thighs and lifting her onto it. Brittany's hands come up and around her girlfriend's neck, letting them come down to the front of her shirt bunching it up in her fists. When the dancer's legs wrap around the shorter girl's waist Santana grunts and clasps her hands around the blonde's back lifting her up from the table once again.

She carries her and stumbles a bit but finds the wall of the living room and with a bang she pushes up against it for balance. With Brittany's back against the wall and her legs wrapped around her Santana moves her hips up and in receiving a small moan of pleasure from her girlfriend. Brittany's hands travel down to the hem of Santana's shirt trying to pull it up but finding it difficult with their current position and when the Latina tries to help but they helplessly fall to the floor. Their hands never leaving each other and their lips finding each other's instantly.

Quinn is the first to wake up and she finds herself feeling thirsty. She quietly gets up from bed, trying her best not to wake up Rachel in the process and with the same expertise opens the door without making a sound. Before heading to the kitchen she glances over at the other couples bedroom door to find it closed. That's either a good sign or a bad sigh the blonde thinks to herself but tries not to dwell, first mission, quench thirst.

But on the way to the kitchen something just at the end of the hallway catches her eye. Her eyebrows furrow and she blinks hard a few times trying to rid the sleep that still lingers to get better focus. The arm chair from the living room is turned over and her eyes widen and her pace quickens as she nervously suspects that something had happened between Brittany and Santana last night.

When she reaches the end of the hall she is in for a sight she had not at all been expecting. The table by the coat rack is completely void of its normal little nooks and keys and is slightly pulled away from the wall. Slightly but noticeably. The magazines from the coffee table are all over the floor and the cushions on the couch are all over the place.

However, regardless of the seemingly destroyed room only one thing truly catches her eye. Well, two things but she always thought of them as one. To her left, at the end of the hallway in the living room on the floor lie Santana and Brittany. They are sound asleep, completely in their own world but in that world together.

Quinn smiles to herself taking in the sight of them. Santana is lying on her stomach, head propped up on her pillow from when she'd slept on the couch the other night. Her hands are hidden under the pillow, only her elbows and shoulders visible. Brittany is lying on her stomach as well but is right on Santana's back, her head perfectly placed between the Latina's shoulder blades and her hands resting at her girlfriend's sides with a sheet barely pulled up over them.

The blonde hears footsteps from the hallway to find a dazed Rachel coming towards her and she motions for her to be quiet. The diva furrows her eyebrows at this suggestion but her eyes widen when she takes in the couple sleeping on their living room floor, naked and more importantly the room looking like a scene out of Twister.

"What the…!" She is about to yell out but Quinn is quick to cover her mouth and shush her. They stand silent for a moment before Quinn excuses herself for a brief moments and runs into Rachel's bedroom, coming out just as quickly with a strap around her neck and camera in hand. "What are you doing?" Rachel whispers as she watches her girlfriend quietly move closer to the unsuspecting couple. Quinn smiles as she takes a few pictures and doesn't offer Rachel any kind of verbal response.

The brunette continues to stand there and watch the blonde take a bunch of photos, moving around the sleeping couple for different angles before standing up straight and grinning at the screen looking at the last picture she's taken. Shutting off her camera she walks over to Rachel and hooks her arm with her own and pulls her back to bed.

"Let's let them be babe." Quinn tells her sweetly. "Just let them be for a bit."


	17. Chapter 17

**_hey there! _**

**_just gotta say, watup2mycup drew another amazing picture of a scene from last chapter, i'm gonna post it on my tumblr _summerkid12.**

_**this chapter is important, obviously or it wouldn't be here, but it's kind of a filler, so i really hope you like it.**_

_**review:)**_

* * *

><p>"Rachel!" Brittany yells from her bedroom, hopping around on one foot trying to get her heel on her foot as she moves towards the door. "Rachel!" She calls out once again to be heard over the music blasting from the living room, she now understood why Santana tried to hide her Barbra collection. Finally slipping on her shoe she briskly walks down the hallway to find Rachel standing in the middle of the living room with a whisk in her hand singing into it at the top of her lungs, no wonder she can't hear the blonde shouting for her. With a huff Brittany stalks over to the CD player and turns down the volume startling the brunette from her solo and catches her eye. "I've been calling you for like five minutes." Brittany tells her friend who shrugs and walks the whisk back to the kitchen.<p>

"Sorry." Rachel mutters shutting the drawer and moving to the fridge to grab a bottle of water and eyes the blonde up carefully. "Someone looks nice." She grins taking in Brittany's formal wear and the blonde beams back at her, glancing down at her dress and blushes slightly.

"Thanks." Brittany licks her lips and looks back up at her friend. "You think Santana will like it?" She twirls around nervously as Rachel nods.

"Absolutely." When Brittany stops spinning around she clasps her hands in front of her and glances down at her shoes. "Are you guys going out?"

"Yes." She replies softly and shrugs, playing with the fabric of her dress that softly clings to her thighs. "Santana told me that we are going out on a date tonight and to get dressed up." She grins from ear to ear when she sees the brunette do just the same and she can't help but giggle. "We haven't been out on a real date in so long." She admits moving to take a seat at the kitchen table.

"Tell me about it, a date night for Quinn and I consist of watching a repeat of Jeopardy in my room and sharing a bowl of 90 calorie popcorn." The blonde chuckles at her friends honesty, knowing she has definitely walked in on a few of their 'dates' before and it only reminds her of the faux dates she and Santana have been on since they moved here. "Not exactly romantic."

"I think it is." Brittany tells the diva who eyes her curiously. "I mean, sometimes Santana and I share a bowl of ice cream in bed and put one of our iPod's on shuffle with the television on mute." She smirks, her eyes looking down at the plastic table cloth Quinn had decided to cover the table with and picks at it. "I can't think of anytime with Santana as not being romantic." Rachel smiles kindly down at her friend and nods, her simple thoughts always seem the most brilliant. "But," She speaks up again and pushes her chair back to stand up once more. "It is also nice to get dressed up, go out to a nice restaurant and show her off." Brittany winks at Rachel and spins around some more in her new dress.

"What brought on the sudden urge for her to take you out?" She asks curiously, opening the fridge once again and grabbing a bowl of grapes taking a seat at the table Brittany has just vacated. The blonde stops twirling and brings her hands behind her, clasping them at her back and bites her lower lip.

"She doesn't need a reason Rachel." Brittany explains carefully and clears her throat softly. "Just like I don't need a reason to tell her that I love her every day… there are just way too many." She smiles wide and nods her head, happy with her own response and turns back to the hallway to walk down to her and Santana's bedroom to finish getting ready leaving Rachel to wonder if she is supposed to take Quinn out just cause as well.

* * *

><p>"Fifty-five, fifty-six, fifty-seven…" Santana counts out, trailing off in her own mind as she gets into a groove, placing the money down onto the counter when she is done.<p>

"You look weird today." Quinn comments as she comes up beside the Latina with her own book of money ready to cash out just the same. Santana side eyes her as she takes her tips and places them into her pocket.

"Just count your money and mind your business." Santana says lowly, motioning towards her friend black book and hits her hip against the blondes. Quinn carefully opens her book, places it on the counter and runs her fingers over the money poking out but her eyes are still looking over at Santana.

"Are you sweating?" She asks and brings her hand up to Santana's forehead brushing her finger across the skin there but the Latina is quick to swat her hand away.

"Quit it." Santana spits out, picking up her things and moves over a foot and Quinn watches her, squints her eyes and smirks.

"You're sweating." She repeats but this time without the questioning part of it.

"It's hot in this place when you're actually _working_." Santana glares at Quinn emphasizing her words. The blonde snorts and turns her attention back to her book to count her money and separate her tips. They stand there for a few moments in silence, Quinn hums to herself while Santana fills out paper work quickly.

"Why are you sweating now though? You haven't had a table for the last hour." Quinn breaks their silence and turns to lean against the counter eyeing her friend suspiciously. Santana huffs, drops her hands and her head flies back for a moment to gather herself.

"If you must know," She snaps, twisting her body to face Quinn and she puts a hand on her hip and sighs. "I am taking Britts out on a date tonight so I'm stressing about getting home in time to get ready." She informs her rather annoying friend and swiftly grabs her things trying to gather them up before another round of questioning starts. Quinn continues to stare at her, confusion written all over her face and she arches one perfectly shaped eyebrow, not at all buying Santana's story.

"That's why you look like a whore in church right now?" She challenges, spinning back around and crosses her arms over her chest. "Because you don't want to be running late?" The icy glare that Santana shoots her is one she's seen before but it still holds its full power and she slightly cowers away only to smirk when Santana thinks she's given up. "You're hiding something." Quinn pokes her friend's sides with her fingers and the Latina fails at batting them away.

"Stop it!" She hisses through clenched teeth trying to fight off the giggle that wants to come out and bites her lips to keep the grin from forming on her lips. "Stop it Quinn!" Santana slaps her hand finally able to move her body away when she knocks the blonde's book on the floor making the money spill onto the floor.

"Shit S!" Quinn groans with annoyance, her antics coming to a halt.

"See what happens when you fuck with me." Santana tells her pointedly.

"Well you don't have to be a complete asshole." She motions to her things strewn all over the floor before bending down to retrieve it. "I was just messing around with you because you're acting like a weirdo." Santana twists her lips in thought as she watches Quinn move to gather her things and she lets out a sigh and rolls her eyes.

* * *

><p>Laughter can be heard on the other side of the door and it booms into the apartment once the door opens. Brittany looks across the kitchen and through to the living room to find her girlfriend and her friend walking in giggling and smirking, obviously they are talking about work or something work related, it's a common occurrence when they shared a shift. Quinn glances over to spot Brittany and her eyes widen and she sends a wink to her blonde buddy and gives a little wave.<p>

"Hey BB, you look smokin'." And with that, Quinn pats Santana on the back and heads to her and Rachel's bedroom. They watch as Quinn leaves them alone and Santana kicks the door closed with her foot and turns her attention back to Brittany, her mouth hanging open as she takes in the blonde's appearance.

"_Wow_." Santana breathes out, her eyebrows raised and she takes slow steps towards her girl, a small grin playing on her lips. "You look…" She meets blue eyes. "_Incredible_." Her features soften and she shakes her head taking Brittany in again completely. The blonde blushes, gnaws on her lower lip and steps up to her girlfriend placing her hands on the shorter girls hips.

"Get your hot ass in the shower babe." She winks and leans in for a quick peck to Santana's lips. "Because I'm literally one second away from showing you what I've got on underneath this dress." She whispers out huskily and gives the Latina's hips a quick squeeze before brushing past her towards the couch, making sure to sway her hips more than usual. Santana's jaw drops and she shakes her head wondering if she will make it through the night with the images of what her girlfriend could have under that dress.

* * *

><p>Santana leads Brittany out of their apartment, holding her hand firmly in her own as they step to the corner and she waves her free hand out to hail a cab. It takes her one try to actually get one which pleases both girls and makes for a great start for the night. The Latina gives the driver an address which means nothing to the blonde and they are soon on their way. They make small talk during the ride, school, work and the upcoming Christmas break and impending finals bringing the blonde's first semester at college to an end.<p>

The cab coming to a stop brings Brittany out of her Santana haze and she glances over to see a bunch of shops and restaurants to their right. The Latina hands over some money to the driver telling him to keep the change and she opens the door stepping out to the chilly winter city street and extends her hand to Brittany who gladly accepts it.

Their dresses wave in the wind as they walk up the curb and onto the sidewalk, Brittany still not sure of where they are headed and she lets Santana lead her. The Latina looks to the blonde and grins, nodding her head to the place in front of them garnering a wide eyed grin from Brittany.

"LaRocco's?" Brittany asks in surprise and squeezes her girlfriend's hand. Santana giggles and nods squeezing her hand back, tugging her closer against her body.

"Nothing's too good for my chica." She winks over at Brittany who smiles back and walks through the glass door that Santana pulls open for her. They walk up to the hostess desk to be greeted by a young woman who smiles back at them. "Reservation for two, under Lopez." The young woman goes through her list, taps her pen and nods.

"Right this way ladies." She grabs two very large menus and with her head, motions for them to follow her into the big dining room just beyond the doorway of the entrance.

"Holy sh… Santana this place is really nice." Brittany comments quietly, gripping her arm tightly around Santana's as she looks around the room at the tables filled with people in fancy clothes looking all sophisticated. "I've only ever read about this place but it is… wow it's a lot nicer inside." She explains, her head turning and spinning to take everything in and Santana just grins from ear to ear.

"Here you go ladies." The hostess places the menus down onto two plates that are covered with fancy white cloth napkins and a table that is decorated with a small thin vase holding a single red rose and two white candles. "Your server is Jimmy and he'll be right over to start you off with drinks." She smiles at them and leaves them be.

"My lady." Santana says cutely as she pulls her arm from Brittany's and goes to help her with her jacket.

"Thank you." Brittany whispers, letting the jacket be slowly pulled from her body and set onto the back of her chair which is then pulled out for her. She nods in appreciation once again as she takes her seat and allows Santana to push the chair in for her a little before making her way to her own chair, putting her coat on the back and taking a seat. "Baby can we afford this?" Brittany leans forward asking in a whisper as she takes the menu up from its place in front of her. Santana looks up from her menu with a sweet smile and nods.

"Don't worry about that, I'm taking my honey out." She blows a kiss to Brittany from across the table and reaches her hand across which the blonde grabs instantly. "Now come on, pick out something yummy." They giggle at one another and with their hands still holding the other's in the middle of the table they look down at their menus trying to find something appealing.

When Jimmy the server comes over her automatically goes into the wine list without really taking in the fact that the girls may possibly be underage. The thought is there, that maybe she can get away with ordering a bottle of wine but she's not about to ruin their night by getting embarrassed for being under 21 and trying to score alcohol in a swanky place. She shakes her head while he's in the middle of his dialogue and tells him they'll just have a large bottle of sparkling water for the table. He nods politely and is quick to leave to get his table's beverage.

He returns shortly, pouring their glasses generously and asks them if they would like to hear the specials. Santana has to stifle her laughter, receiving a hard hand squeeze from Brittany, she can't help but think of the response she gets from people at work when she asks that question. They of course decline to hear the specials and go on to order their meals and opt to forgo appetizers and such.

Before dinner arrives they continue with the small talk they had started in the cab. Brittany compliments Santana's outfit once again asking her where she's been hiding those shoes because they make the Latina's legs look even hotter than usual. Blushing slightly, Santana ducks her head and tells her she has even more surprises yet to come for their night. Brittany eyes her carefully but has to hold her questions when Jimmy comes over with another server who settles their food down in front of them.

* * *

><p>"LaRocco's?" Rachel shouts from her bedroom in order for her surprise to reach Quinn who is setting dinner up in the kitchen. "That place is pricey." She comments and makes her way down the hall and into the kitchen to find the blonde nodding her head in agreement as she takes out some chicken from the oven. "What is she up to?" Quinn shrugs and shakes her head as she places the pan onto the stove top and removes the oven mitts from her hands.<p>

"I honestly have no idea. But it's gotta be something important." Quinn replies with intrigue, wishing she really could read her friends mind, she can but only to an extent. Rachel takes a seat at the table, her motions growing slower as a thought crosses her mind and her eyebrows knit together.

"You don't think she…" Her voice trails off as she finally sits down and Quinn glances over her shoulder curiously. "I mean, that she would ask…" Rachel tilts her head to the side hoping Quinn can finish her unspoken thoughts. Quinn twists her head to the side and squints her eyes taking in her girlfriends words and the ones that haven't left her lips.

"No." She says almost in disbelief that Rachel can even go there, so soon anyway. "No." She shakes her head deciding to wave it off and turns back towards the chicken but her hands stop still and she turns back to face the diva. "Ya think?" Rachel shrugs her shoulders and leans her chin in her hand.

"Maybe, I mean… I seriously wouldn't put it past either of them." She sighs out with a playful roll of her eyes. "But…" They stare at each other and they break into hysterics shaking their heads. "Nah."

"Definitely not at all." Quinn agrees with a chuckle, bringing her attention back to her dinner and checking on the vegetables for Rachel.

* * *

><p>"Oh I forgot to tell you, I'm meeting with my advisor at the end of the week." Santana tells Brittany after she swallows a small bite of her food. The blonde looks up with a surprised but happy smile.<p>

"Really sweetie, that's awesome." She beams over at her girlfriend whose eyes shine back at her. "Do you know what classes you're going to take or…" She waits for Santana to chime in and she does.

"I think that's what we're gonna go over, maybe see what I'm interested in and what not." She shrugs her shoulders and takes another bite of food from her fork. "Isn't it weird that I'm excited about school." Santana chuckles to which Brittany follows suit, wiping her mouth softly, dabbing the white clothed napkin on her lips.

"I think it's kind of cute." She tells her in a hushed tone. "And a little bit sexy."

"You're all kinds of naughty tonight Miss Brittany Pierce." Santana notes, leaning back in her chair setting her fork down beside her plate and smirking over at the blonde. "This is proving to be a very successful evening." She bites her lower lip as she watches Brittany lean back in her chair as well excruciatingly slow and her mind goes back to imagining what she's wearing under her dress. Her eyes shamelessly rake over her girlfriend's chest and her own breath hitches.

"Santana." Brittany whispers out, moving her finger in front of her chest to get the other girls attention and when she does she smirks back at her. "Please tell me dessert involves you naked." Santana gasps and her wide eyes glance to the tables around them wondering if anyone else heard Brittany, her cheeks are burning with arousal and bashfulness. She clears her throat and leans a bit forward.

"Dessert is most definitely back home in our bed." She winks and waves over to the side for Jimmy to come over. "But first, we have one more stop to make on our special night out." Brittany scrunches her nose in excitement and anxiety for what is to come.

Brittany tries to grab the check but Santana is too quick for her and hands her card over to Jimmy before he can even place it on the table. She goes to open her mouth to tell the Latina she wants to at least leave the tip but before she can even say a word Santana shakes her head and waves her hand pretty much telling her 'absolutely not'. They go through the same motions they did when they arrived except in reverse, Santana helps Brittany from her chair and eases her into her jacket before getting her own on. Then before they know it, they are walking out of the restaurant and down the street.

"Babe?" Brittany says softly, pulling her jacket closed with one hand and holding it tight as she pulls her arm across her chest to grip Santana's arm.

"Hmm?" Santana hums out tugging the blonde arm tighter into her own.

"Where are we going?" She asks because they are not getting a cab like she had assumed and are still walking up the street.

"You'll see." Santana grins and leans her head against Brittany's.

They walk quietly, trying to stay quiet with the hopes that silence will ward off the cold winter air blowing in their faces. Brittany tries her best to snuggle closer into her girlfriend's body and Santana does just the same to the blonde. She points across their bodies to inform Brittany they are going to be turning down the next block and the blonde nods, following Santana's directions. They slow down and Santana is mumbling numbers under her breath and staring at the buildings they are passing.

"Here we go." She announces triumphantly and pulls Brittany with her up a few steps and pulls out a set of keys the blonde has never seen before. Brittany's eyebrows knit together as she watches her girlfriend unlock the door to some apartment building like she owns the place and pulls her inside along with her.

"Santana what…?" Brittany whispers with a giggle as Santana hurriedly leads them down the hallway and to an elevator that has its doors already open as if waiting for them. She eyes her girlfriend up and down carefully as they stand in the elevator, waiting to be taken to the second floor and Santana just smirks as she leans against the wall.

"Come on." Santana tugs on her girlfriend's hand and drags her out of the elevator and down the hall until they stop in front of a red door with bronze numbers just above a peep hole. She glances up at those blue eyes offering a small smile before she puts the key in the lock and turns it and opens the door slowly. "Go on." She motions for Brittany to step inside first and the Latina watches hr inspect the doorway carefully before stepping over the threshold. She reaches in and around to the wall to flick on a switch making the blonde jump a little. They walk in further and Brittany spins around when she hears the door close behind them.

"Santana?" Brittany says her name in complete confusion. The Latina walks around the room which is obviously the living room, it's a little bit bigger than theirs and a lot nicer. She walks over to where the hallway is and points down it.

"There's a huge master bedroom back there." She motions for Brittany to come stand by her to look down the hall and spot the door to the room. "It has an en suit bathroom." She winks. "And then there's a guest room it's a little small but whatever." She shrugs and walks behind her where there is a kitchen which is not open and connected to the living room like theirs is and it's a whole lot bigger. "Look, you can fit like an actually dining room table in here not just a small four seater kitchen table." Her eyes go wide and all of this information is only confusing Brittany more.

"What's going on?" Brittany asks, this time a little louder and her eyes directly on Santana. The shorter girl smiles and opens her arms as if motioning to something.

"Well, what do you think?" Santana inquires in return taking a few steps towards the blonde and Brittany's expression tells her she still doesn't understand. "Bonnie from work, she's leaving in May and, well, I was telling her about how we wanted to get our own place." She eases into the topic and the reason why they are here. "She knows the landlord and said she can put in a good word for us rent wise and said we can totally afford it." She smiles hopefully up at her girlfriend watching as everything sinks into Brittany's head. "I mean, it's still close to everything we already know and it would… it'd be ours." She shrugs, her arms coming back down to her sides and she looks down at Brittany's hands still holding on to her jacket. After a while of Brittany not saying anything, Santana huffs out a chuckle, embarrassed of course and shakes her head at herself. "Sorry I just… I thought it wouldn't hurt to have an option on something now. But…"

"Santana." Brittany says but the other girl doesn't hear her, brushes past her and walks into the living room.

"I, I'm just too excited to have a place just the two of us." She declares waving her arm in the air for emphasis not realizing Brittany standing so close to her.

"Santana." The blonde says again.

"I seriously cannot stand living with Rachel Berry any longer." She comments until she finally stops talking when Brittany grabs her by the shoulders and shuts her up by kissing her. She renders Santana speechless and when she finally pulls back she smiles at the Latina.

"Baby… I'd live in a cardboard box with you." She whispers onto her lips before kissing her again.

"Really?" Santana asks between kisses, wrapping her arms around Brittany's waist. The blonde hums and nods, tucking some dark hair behind Santana's ears. "So should I tell her we'll take it?" Brittany pulls back once again, looks Santana in the eyes and grins before she nods.

"In May this place is ours babe." Brittany mumbles out against her girlfriend's forehead and pulls her in to a tight hug. She lets out a laugh and rubs her hands up and down Santana's back. "Is that what tonight was all about?"

"Well," Santana pulls herself far enough away to meet Brittany's eyes. "I wanted to do something nice for you and I mean, this is kind of a big deal I guess. So I wanted to make it all special and shit." They smirk back at one another and nod, letting out little giggles.

"Come on, let's go home, I wants to get my dessert on." Brittany says, as she leads them back out into the hallway, her arm draped over Santana's shoulder and giving her girlfriend a quick kiss on the cheek.


	18. Chapter 18

**_sorry for the delay. i've been so busy and when i'm not busy i've just been so damn tired. but finally here is chapter 18:)_**

**_read and review_**

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><p>An annoying ringing coming from the right side of the bed, Santana's side, bursts into the silence of the early morning. The Latina shifts in her sleep, turns her head away from the noise and throws her arm over to the other side of the bed gripping Brittany's hip through the blanket possessively in the process. Brittany's legs move under the sheets, becoming tangled with tanned legs and black colored bedding as she groans in displeasure and her body shuffles closer into Santana's.<p>

"Santana." Brittany mumbles against Santana's chest trying to get her to do something about the incessant noise piercing her eardrums. But when her girlfriend doesn't budge she moves her body further into Santana's in hopes of rousing her. "Phone." She groans against the naked flesh of Santana's chest.

"Mmm." She grunts in response, pulling Brittany closer against her body and wrapping their legs around one another's in a desperate attempt to further ignore the buzzing and ringing beside them. Santana groans when Brittany kicks her in the shin with the heel of her foot and shuffles away reaching down to rub away the ache. "Dammit Britt." She whines and reaches behind her and over her head blindly to retrieve her phone.

She brings the phone in front of her face, the light so bright it shines through her eyelids and forces her to peek them open. Her eyebrows scrunch together and she huffs, not at the name flashing across the screen but more at the time.

"Hello?" Santana answers, the grogginess apparent from the scratch in her voice.

"I don't know why you feel the need to act like you don't know who it is every phone in America has caller ID." Mrs. Lopez replies in slight early morning irritation that comes with being a Lopez. Santana grumbles some form of response and turns her body again into Brittany's, nudging her forehead into her back gently. "I wanted to check in about Christmas." Behind her eyelids, Santana's eyes roll and she makes a throaty sound once more without using actual words. "Santana, just because you're living in the big city with your girlfriend does not mean I'm just going to let you get away with not coming home."

"I already told you, the restaurant is open on holidays and since I got off for Thanksgiving my chances are pretty slim." She explains in a hushed tone after receiving another kick from Brittany.

"So what?" Mrs. Lopez scoffs and Santana can just picture her mother standing in the kitchen leaning on the counter with one hand on her hip. "You and Brittany are just going to play house for Christmas vacation and forget all about your families?" She huffs and the added sigh at the end is what makes Santana bolt up in bed and her eyes pop open with annoyance.

"First of all, it's like," She glances over at her clock. "6:15 in the morning and you're calling us on our day off when we can actually get the chance to sleep in." Santana shouts into the phone causing Brittany to turn onto her side quickly to face her girlfriend eyes slowly opening and adjusting to the light peering in from the curtain. "Second of all, I know you're getting forgetful in your old age but let me remind you that because I decided to move to the city to live with my _girlfriend_ who I am having a relationship with, _not_ playing house with, you guys cut me off and I have to work to pay for shit around here."

"Santana." Brittany hisses through a yawn and sits up against the headboard of their bed and reaches forward to grab the phone from her girlfriend's hand. "Hey Mrs. Lo." The blonde says sweetly into the receiver. "Sorry about that," She kicks Santana for the third time which prompts the Latina to get out of bed completely and stand defiantly by the window. "You know how she gets when she doesn't get her _beauty_ sleep." Santana glares at her girlfriend as she crosses her arms.

"It's okay dear." Mrs. Lopez chuckles on the other end getting a sympathetic grin from Brittany. "You know I mean nothing by it when I say 'playing house', I just needed to get her attention that's all." Brittany shakes her head as she chuckles sparing a quick glance at her brooding girlfriend.

"Trust me, I know _all_ about that." She informs the older Latina and all of the joking and laughter melts Santana's icy anger for a moment and she leans to take a seat at the foot of the bed.

"Is there any way _you _can talk her into getting out of work?" Mrs. Lopez inquires and Brittany twists her lips as though taking it into consideration. She would love it if Santana didn't have to work and could come to Lima with her for Christmas, but it's simply not in the cards.

"She's been trying to get out of it. She even offered a hundred bucks to some girl at work to switch shifts but it looks like she's stuck here for Christmas this year." She shrugs as she explains to Mrs. Lopez that it is in fact a lost cause in trying to talk to Santana about not coming home for break. Santana reaches out and wraps her fingers around Brittany's ankle from under the sheet and squeezes it gently garnering a soft smile from the blonde. "But it kind of works out because Quinn is stuck here too." She adds as an afterthought, remembering that her blonde buddy is stuck at work but for different reasons of course.

"I just don't like the thought of my baby so far away on Christmas." The older woman sighs and it makes Brittany's lower lip jut out until she is in full pout mode. "You better be coming by regardless of my daughter's absence young lady." She is quick to add, her voice sounding stern. Brittany giggles and pulls her leg back when Santana tickles the bottom of her foot.

"Of course I'll be there." She assures her girlfriend's mom and after a few more minutes of random gossiping and catching up the phone is finally placed once again on the night stand. "You are so grumpy when you're sleep gets interrupted." Brittany notes, leaning forward to pull Santana back to the top of the bed by her waist. The Latina smirks and lets out a laugh as she breathes through her nose, bringing her body to partially lie on top of the blonde's.

"It depends how I get woken up." She wriggles her eyebrows suggestively getting a giggle and a smile from Brittany who wraps her arms up and around her neck. Santana lowers her lips to press them to Brittany's in a chaste, early morning kiss.

Santana nuzzles her face into the crook of Brittany's neck, places a small kiss to the skin there and lets out a sigh as she closes her eyes. The blonde wraps her arms around her girlfriend, pulling her close against her and kiss her forehead before closing her own eyes once more and they slowly fall back into a deep sleep that they were pulled from.

* * *

><p>Around nine o'clock an alarm starts sounding off, stirring the room's occupants from a cozy sleep. Quinn grumbles and turns away from the offending sound and pulls the covers up and over her head while slightly nudging Rachel in the side. Rachel mumbles something incoherent into her pillow as she tries to move her body away from the limb poking her in the side.<p>

"Shut it off." Quinn groans, lifting the covers only enough for her words to travel to Rachel's ears. Grudgingly Rachel turns onto her side to face the side table her alarm clock is on and flips the little switch into the off position. She closes her eyes once again and shuffles further under the covers to find the spot she had just been in.

"Quinn get up." She tells the blonde because even with her eyes closed and the sound of herself moving on the bed, she knows that Quinn has not made any move to get up and start getting ready for work.

"I don't wanna." Quinn whines, tightening the blanket around her own body and stealing it away from the brunette. Rachel chuckles in amusement and slight annoyance and pushes into Quinn's shoulder to shake her out of her morning daze.

"You have work in an hour and a half." Rachel reminds her, leaning over towards her girlfriend, lowering the blanket and pressing her lips to the blonde's cheek. Quinn can't help the small smile that comes to her lips at the feeling but tries to cover that up by ducking her head bringing her chin to her chest. "And I was thinking that we can meet up for lunch." The brunette informs her, kissing her once again by the jaw. Quinn's eyes slowly open up, blinking the sleep from her eyes and searching for Rachel's brown ones staring back at her. They stare at one another for a few moments, smiling sweetly back at the other as Rachel lifts her hand and tucks some stray hairs that she can tame, behind Quinn's ear.

"I love you, you know that right?" Quinn lets out in her scratchy early morning voice. Rachel's smile widens and she nods once before leaning back down to press her lips to the blonde's.

"I know." Rachel whispers before one last kiss and then starts to pull Quinn up by her hands and leads her out of their bedroom.

They make their way to the kitchen where Quinn pours herself some cereal and Rachel gets them both juice while grabbing a small bowl of fruit for herself from the refrigerator. They sit comfortably in silence for a few moments until Rachel finally breaks it as she ruffles some papers in front of her and lets out a sigh.

"What are you going to do about school?" She asks kind of quietly. Quinn's eyes dart up from the back of the cereal box she has been staring at more than she'd been reading it.

"Can we not right now." Quinn rolls her eyes trying to get lost in the maze her eyes cannot seem to figure out. Rachel raises an eyebrow curiously at how quick Quinn is to end a conversation that they have both been dancing around.

"But," The diva starts again, reaching across the table to move the box out from between them. "I mean, you have to do something." She explains in confusion. "Quinn, if you don't call your school and withdraw you're going to fail and that is going to screw up your GPA and that's something that sticks with your entire college career." Rachel informs her girlfriend whose spoon hangs out of her mouth and her eyebrow arched up. "And if you fail your first semester of college what school is going to let you transfer with a 0.0 GPA?" She challenges, leaning back in her chair as she takes a bite of fruit. Quinn slowly pulls the spoon from her lips, chews her cereal, swallows and clears her throat.

"Maybe college isn't for me." She mumbles and pulls the cereal box back in between her and Rachel. She has not wanted to have this conversation with herself let alone Rachel.

"What?" Rachel bites back reaching forward once again to move the box. "That's ridiculous Quinn. You're a smart girl but not only that, in this day and age no one can get a job without at least an associate's degree." She reminds her girlfriend trying her hardest not to let her frustration come out in her words. "I know you've been working hard not only for yourself but to help around here." She smiles kindly at the blonde but Quinn's hardened jaw makes her cower back in her chair a little bit. "But just because you're mother and you…" Quinn's eyebrows shoot up to her hairline and she lifts her hand to stop Rachel from speaking. She pushes her chair back, grabs her cereal bowl and the box.

"Seriously Rachel just, don't." She shakes her head as she walks to the sink to toss her bowl into and then places the box back on top of the refrigerator.

"Quinn I'm just trying to help here." Rachel tells her, turning in her chair as Quinn heads towards the hallway.

"I'm going to go take a shower." The blonde says quietly and leaves Rachel alone in the kitchen.

Rachel turns back to face her bowl of fruit, confusion among other emotions etched across her face as she replays everything that just happened. She contemplates following the blonde into the bathroom to confront her about things she is so painfully and obviously avoiding but, she decides against it. Quinn has gone through a lot the past few weeks and she figures that pressuring her is not going to do anyone any good.

* * *

><p>The restaurant is steady, not busy, but good enough to make her normal amount for a day shift. Quinn has been walking around the place like a robot, greeting tables kindly and getting their refills, taking perfect orders and she even got a compliment from one of the guests to her manager. The day is looking up but she can't shake the guilty feeling in her gut as the clock moves closer and closer to two o'clock, Rachel should be showing up any minute for their scheduled lunch.<p>

Her last table has just paid and is on their way out so she swings by the table to pick up her tip and after closing the check out at the computer she makes her way to the back taking a seat just outside the kitchen. She pulls her cell phone out of her apron, puts her password in and opens her voicemail up. She has two unheard messages and she's been fighting with herself on whether to play them or not since she'd received them two weeks ago.

"_This is getting repetitive and bordering on ridiculous." Quinn mumbled in frustration, her arms flying up in the air only to come down hard against her thighs and the smack that erupted from the contact echoes throughout the room. Judy jerked her head back and her eyebrows furrowed._

"_Who are you?" The older blonde questioned in confusion and in exhaustion. They had been going at it all day, well really all week but it only keeps getting worse. "I think you spend a little too much time with that Lopez girl." She shook her head and sighed out in defeat._

"_Santana!" Quinn yelled across the room and stomped her foot. "Her name is Santana, you've known her for as long as you've known me mother." She pointed out to the woman who for some reason or another refused to act like she knew anyone in her daughter's life that did not follow the 'norm' life style. "I don't understand…" She trailed off, looked off to the side and closed her eyes tightly._

"_I don't understand what happened to my little girl." Judy explained vaguely and Quinn rolled her eyes beneath her eyelids. It had become a statement that kept losing its meaning over the years. _

_She'd heard it when she got pregnant, she heard it when she decided to keep the baby, she heard it when she decided to have the baby but give her up for adoption and she just keeps on hearing it with everything she does._

"_I'm not a little girl anymore that's the problem here mom." Quinn let out in exasperation. "Little girls don't get knocked up from a one night stand." She spit out causing Judy Fabray to gawk at her in semi disgust and in shock. "Little girls don't go to college and little girls don't wish they could leave home and never come back." The fire set beneath her is so big there was no way anything could extinguish it._

"_What is that suppose to mean?" Mrs. Fabray took a small step forward, her hands on her hips and her head cocked to the side. "What, are you just going to pack your things up and skip town?" She challenged with amusement. "Where are you going to go? Hitchhike your way to go and live with your 'girlfriend'?" She chuckled darkly and turned her back to her daughter acting like the shelf in the living room needed to be cleaned up._

"_Why is my relationship a joke to you?" Quinn cried out, her tears betraying her and slowly rolled down her cheeks._

"_Because it's not who you are." Judy yelled back, her frustration growing more and more right along with her temper. Quinn's eyebrows scrunch together and she stares at her mother for a few long seconds._

"_I am dating Rachel, she is my girlfriend." The younger blonde did her best to stay calm and collected as she explained her mother the woman she is._

"_Quinn, you are _not_ a lesbian." She informed her as fact._

"_Why does it have to be a label with you?" Quinn bit back, her first bunched up at her sides and her knees locked in place._

"_You're 'dating' a girl Quinnie, I don't know how else to put it." Judy responded almost immediately._

"_Not everyone fits into the boxes that society makes mom, I'm your child." Quinn shook her head, disappointment evident on both faces of the Fabray women._

"_Exactly." Judy sighed out heavily._

"_So then why does it matter who I'm dating, who I'm with or who I end up with?" Quinn fired back viscously._

"_Because that's not how I raised you." She replied._

"_What to be open minded?" Quinn challenged her but only received silence. "I don't understand the big deal with me being with another girl. I thought you were okay with this." She shook her head, the steam slowly seeped from her ears as she let out a deep breath. _

"_It's not how I raised you." Judy repeated herself._

"_Well, I love her and I'm loved in return I don't get how that can't make you at least a bit happy for me." Quinn takes in another breath._

"_Because you're not a lesbian Quinn." Judy's irritation could be heard with every word she spoke._

"_Do you hear yourself?" The younger blonde stepped forward, shaking her head in annoyance and her voice grew lower. "I tell you I love and am loved and all you can say is that?" She stood just a few feet from her mother and they stared at one another for a few moments. "All you have to say to me is that I am not a lesbian and that this is not how you raised me. Not even caring that I have someone who loves me so openly and fully and the only thing you can focus on is the fact that this person happens to be a girl."_

"_It's not what _I_ want!" Mrs. Fabray finally yelled out at the top of her lungs catching herself and her daughter completely off guard, two sets of eyes wide and mouths hung open._

Quinn's thumb hovers over the 'play message' button then moves to the 'delete message' button and gnaws on her lower lip as she tries to make a decision. She knew that night she had made a rash decision and that not getting in touch with anyone didn't help her anxiety much but she had been given no other choice.

With a deep breath and a press of her thumb she slowly brought the phone to her ear and heard the automated voice lady tell her she has two unheard messages.

_It was raining out and Quinn had just taken the last bit of cash out from her bank account at an ATM at some trashy gas station. If she knew her mother as well as she thought she did then it was completely possible that Judy Fabray, in her fit of anger and feeling all kinds of betrayed would without a doubt clean out her daughters account to leave her with absolutely nothing._

_So with the final withdraw of the day leaving her with three thousand dollars in her purse, Quinn walked up the stretch of highway far from a Chicago gas station and towards a tiny Motel she had seen on her way in. Her car was still parked perfectly in the spot she had taken when she got into the city and she went in to the office to get herself a room_

_The boy behind the desk was just that. He couldn't have been any older than Quinn herself and when she asked for a room he gave her a questioning look but the smirk on his face told her he most likely thought she was meeting some middle aged married man for a quickie while his wife and kids were asleep. Inwardly she chuckled because the thought of doing just that was not only disgusting but just a typical thought she reasoned, young girl getting a room and paying in cash for said room._

_Room 31 was gross but she figured she couldn't expect much more in the bad side of Chicago. The bed looked like it was at least cleaned this week but at that point she didn't really mind, she'd even sleep on the floor if need be. She was too exhausted to think about the gross things that probably happened in that room, she was still highly grossed out at the way her mother had treated her._

_She locked the door as securely as she could and tossed her bag to the side of the bed. She contemplated her next move as she took a spot on the bed, leaned against the head board and grabbed the remote control. She'd heard from Kurt a while ago about them taking a Grey Hound to visit the girls in New York and that it only cost about forty to sixty bucks. Glancing out the window she spotted her car and wondered how much she could get for it, she'd bought it with the money her father had given her for her sixteenth birthday. _

_Even though he was out of the picture by then and that she was still losing baby weight to even think about having an actual sweet sixteen, he sent her a fat check to celebrate. She figured it was to make up for his absence but after she never got any word from him after she cashed it, she assumed he didn't really feel that bad._

_It was only a three year old car, she could either sell it for scraps or sell it completely to some stupid fat car salesmen for more than she'd gotten it for. She closed her eyes as the sound of music from the television wafted through the air and she retraced her steps thus far and what it actually was to get her here. Her thoughts however were interrupted by the sound of her cell phone ringing, her eyes snapped open and she looked to the side table where she had placed it when she walked in._

_Truth be told she didn't know who's name to expect to see on the screen. Her mother had most definitely not tried to contact her since she flew the coup and she hadn't reached out to anyone for the since last night. When she brought the phone up to her eye level she saw that it was Santana calling her but on instinct she pressed 'decline'. She didn't know why Santana was calling her. It could be something about her and the fallout with her mother but it could be something else and in all honesty Quinn couldn't handle any form of conversation then._

_Her heart sunk however when after she dismissed the call she had several text messages. They were from Kurt, Santana, Rachel, Brittany and Mrs. Lopez. It became clear to her why Santana had called her and as she read through the texts her phone alerted her of a new voicemail. As tears began to form in her eyes she shut her phone off. She didn't want to upset anyone, make anyone worry but she had no energy to go through everything all over again. It was all still so fresh and she was still so very angry and slightly broken._

As the memories of that night wash through her she gulps when Santana's small voice comes through the phone and into her ear, nearly breaking her heart all over again.

"_Quinn," _Santana's voice cracks and the blonde can hear her sniffle a little bit as well as Brittany's soft voice in the background. _"I don't know where you are and your mother won't tell anyone anything."_ She can't help but smirk through her tiny tears forming in the corner of her eyes when she hears Santana mumble 'bitch' a little away from the phone. _"I need you to call me, please. Rachel is freaking out and you know I'm no good with making people feel better about shit._" She chuckles when she hears Brittany tell her she is perfect at doing such a thing. _"At least send someone a text message that you're alive, I love you."_ She pauses and takes in a deep breath that comes out like a sob. _"We __**love**__ you Q, me and Britt and… obviously Rachel." _

The click of an ending phone call sounds off and Quinn pulls her phone from her ear and brings her other hand up to her cheek to wipe away a lone tear that has rolled from her eye. She sniffles, bites her lower lip and shakes her head. Her eyebrows scrunch together and her nose crinkles as she fights back sobs that want desperately to escape. She clears her throat and sits up straighter in her chair and presses to play the second message.

_She had decided to take the Grey Hound but only up to Allen Town, Pennsylvania. She doesn't know why she got off there considering she had bought a ticket to take her straight to New York City. But when the bus stopped at a rest stop she gathered her bag and never got back on. There was a small town that had a few stores and she decided to spend another night in a Motel. Selling her car had turned out to be a good deal, Roger, the car dealer back in Chicago handed over a check for nine thousand dollars for her car ultimately making her feel proud for keeping the thing in such good condition._

_The Motel in Allen Town was a lot nicer than the Super 8 she'd stayed in back in Chicago. The older woman behind the desk was a light kinder in her eyes and her smile wasn't a smirk of judgment she had gotten from the young man two nights ago. The bed looked cozy and clean and even the floor, she noticed looked like it had been steam cleaned recently._

_She walked around in the room, glancing out the window ever few minutes thinking about her next move. Her eyes flickered over to her purse that lay open on the bed and she decided that she needed to open a bank account soon because walking around with over ten thousand dollars in her bag was not a good idea especially since now she was a vagabond. Kneeling at the front of the bed she grabbed a bag of chips she'd gotten back at the rest stop and figured it was time for dinner._

_As she was finally about to fall into a deep daze of 'All My Children' her cell phone rang breaking her from her concentration on whether Erica Kane was Erica Kane or her weird twin thing they started going in on. She twisted her lips and slowly lifted her phone to her eyes and her heart sank as she read the name on the screen. Swallowing the small lump in her throat she shut her phone off and tossed her phone back in to her bag._

She closes her eyes as the sound of Rachel's voice fly through the ear piece on her cell phone. She sounds sad, scared and lost and it totally breaks Quinn's heart.

"_Baby,"_ Rachel greets and Quinn can tell she is trying to be her usual upbeat self but she can hear the tears in the back of her throat as she speaks. _"I miss you so much and I wish you would answer someone's call. Santana and Brittany have been sleeping in my room." _Quinn furrows her brow and her head jerks back, she had no idea about this. _"You'd be so shocked at how kind Santana is being sweetie."_ She can hear the smile come to Rachel's face as she speaks even though her voice cracks. _"She made me a vegan breakfast today and… even though I didn't eat much I guess it's the thought that counts."_ She giggles but Quinn can tell it's forced. _"I need you, I need to know you're okay."_ She can just picture the tears rolling down her girlfriend's face as she feels her own dripping from her chin. _"Kurt's dad went to your mother's and she… she told him what happened. We are here for you Quinn, please call us. I love you."_

The message ends the same as Santana's had, with a simple click of a button and Quinn lets out a small sigh. She had been avoiding those messages just as she had avoided their phone calls. She swallows the new lump that has formed in her throat and she shoves her phone back into her apron. Leaning back against the back of the chair she lets out a sigh and closes her eyes and the images of her journey from Lima to New York City rushes past her eyelids. She pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration and from being tired and she realizes that in order to be the woman she claims to be she has to start acting like it.

* * *

><p>"Can we get a tree?" Brittany asks as they walk down the street towards the bodega to get some lunch. Santana furrows her eyebrows and shoots her girlfriend a sideways glance.<p>

"Britts, you're not even gonna be here for Christmas." She states factually and the blonde shrugs her shoulders and sways their clasped hands between them, squeezing Santana's in her own with a small smile on her lips.

"I know, but you and Quinn will be and you should celebrate." The blonde explains easily enough and Santana can't help but grin at Brittany's holiday spirit. "Besides, it will be fun to decorate it."

"Baby, I don't think our place is big enough for a tree." The Latina tells her slowly as she envisions them trying to maneuver a Christmas tree into their tiny apartment. "Besides, I don't know where we'd get one in the city." She admits because she has not seen one place around their neighborhood that sells trees. Back home there was a little shop on every corner where the families of Lima sold trees from their land they have out west.

"So," Brittany skips with excitement as an idea comes to mind. "Let's go to the island and pick one up." She beams over in her girlfriend's direction, her eyes sparkling in the afternoon sun. Santana chuckles at the blonde's child like enthusiasm and mulls over the idea in her head. "Come on Santana, it'll be so much fun!" She announces to the entire street, getting strange looks from the rest of the public and this only makes Santana laugh more.

"Okay, okay. I guess we can take the truck out there and get us a tree." She nods complying with her girlfriend's request and Brittany jumps up and down as they continue to walk towards the tiny shop on the corner. "But, it can't be like the one your family gets. We have to get a small one."

"Like in Charlie Brown?" Brittany asks tilting her head to the side and her lower lip jutting out a bit.

"Well, I mean, not _that_ small, we're not exactly poor." Santana shakes her head just imagining the looks of her roommates upon seeing a tree without as much as two pine needles on it. "Just something like… I don't know my height." She shrugs and this makes Brittany smile sweetly back at her.

"Aw, that would be cute. A Santana-size tree." She nuzzles her face into the crook of Santana's neck and places a tiny kiss to her skin getting a grin from the shorter girl. "Can we put a Barbie doll on the top of it instead of a star or an angel?" Brittany inquires as they turn into the bodega making Santana chuckle some more as she walks in before her girlfriend.

"We can decorate it anyway you want babe. It's _our_ tree." She tosses over her shoulder.

They order their lunch and decide to eat on the way to Long Island figuring they'd miss any kind of random traffic earlier in the afternoon. While Santana drives Brittany uses her iPhone to Google any and every place selling Christmas trees out on the island, not wanting to venture to far east to find the perfect one.

* * *

><p>Quinn tells her manager she is going to take her thirty minute break outside of the restaurant and she makes her way up the street to the small café she and Rachel go to at least once a week. She comes up to the door to find her girlfriend sitting by the window glancing over a few pages that look like a script and she grins to herself at how Rachel is literally living her dream.<p>

The sound of the bell on the door catches the brunette's attention and her head snaps up towards the door and she smiles brightly up at the blonde walking her way. She moves to get up to greet Quinn but she is stopped when the taller girl places a hand on her shoulder and leans down to kiss her lips quickly. They smile at one another as Quinn takes the seat across from her, placing her phone on the table and her apron wrapped up on the other side by the window.

"You're in a better mood this afternoon." Rachel notes as she rearranges her silverware and shifts in her seat, almost regretting the words she just spoke wondering if she just opened up a can of worms again. But Quinn's smile stays in place and she nods.

"Of course, because I'm with you." The blonde informs her and finally catches the brunette's eyes once again. "Look," She looks down at her plate for a moment and leans forward in her chair. "I'm sorry for snapping at you this morning. I didn't mean to be nasty to you I've just…" She lets out a sigh and rests her chin in her hand as she leans on the table. "I've been stressed, obviously." She chuckles while shaking her head at herself. "But you were right, I can't just fail this first semester because it will effect everything and anything I want to do in the future." She nods and Rachel does the same in agreement but chooses to remain silent. "So tomorrow, I'm going to call Lima Community and see what it is I can do." She clears her throat and quietly says thank you to the girl who brings her over water. "I'm thinking if I explain to my advisor or even the dean or _somebody_ that I have been dealing with family issues, they will figure something out for me." She takes a deep breath, a sip of water and glances up at Rachel who is smiling back at her proudly. "What are you thinking?"

"How much I love you." She says softly and reaches across the table to grab Quinn's hand which the blonde offers willingly to her within seconds. "This is the Quinn I know." Rachel tells her. "The girl who doesn't back down and fights."

"I'd like to say I get that from my parents but…" Quinn shakes her head a rolls her eyes at her own statement. "I just don't want to be a Lima loser who winds up working at a restaurant for her whole life because she ran away from home." She shrugs her shoulders and Rachel caresses the back of her hand with her thumb.

"Sweetie, you've never been a Lima loser and you never will become one." She assures her, tilting her head to the side and grinning back at the blonde who blushes from the kind words. Once again, she clears her throat and fidgets in her chair.

"Now, it's gonna be a bitch but I know there are a lot of good community colleges out in Long Island so I was figuring that I could look there." Quinn informs her girlfriend of the ideas she's had swimming around her head for quite a while. "Thing is, I need to be someplace I can afford and even though I work and have some money saved up I have to take tuition into consideration. I'm not about to take out a million loans that I will be paying back till I'm 90 years old." Rachel nods as she giggles at her girlfriend's choice of words. "I'm sure I can get some financial aid and what not but, I don't know… will you help me figure it out." She nervously looks on as Rachel's smile widens and her eyes soften more.

"That's what I'm here for babe." Rachel squeezes Quinn's hand again in her own and finally their waitress comes over to take their order.

* * *

><p>"Brittany!" Santana tries to get the blonde's attention but Brittany is far too busy vacuuming up the stray pine needles that have seemed to fall off during their wrestling match with the tree. "Brittany!" She calls out again with slight amusement as Brittany goes over the same spot with the hand held dirt devil. "Brittany Pierce!" She yells louder but this time she is heard because the blonde has shut off the machine. Brittany's eyebrows scrunch together and she turns to face her girlfriend.<p>

"Why are you yelling?" She asks in all seriousness and Santana simply eyes the vacuum in her hand which makes her giggle. "Oh, sorry." She shrugs and places the vacuum back into its holder against the wall and stands beside her girlfriend. "Babe, trees are messy." She notes, pointing to beneath the tree where there are still so many pine needles begging to be cleaned up. Santana chuckles, throwing her head back in the process and nods as she drapes her arm around Brittany's shoulder.

"For realz." She agrees and Brittany leans her head against the side of Santana's.

The door to their apartment opens up and they are greeted by the laughter of their friends and roommates. Rachel's eyebrows knit together and Quinn stops laughing slowly as they eye up the tree in their living room. The blonde points to it and sends a questioning glare to the couple standing in front of it.

"Why is there a tree in here?" She asks and Santana shoots her a glare.

"Umm, because it's almost Christmas." Santana spits out. Rachel nods in understanding and walks further into the living room with Quinn right behind her, closing the door first and then sidling up next to the brunette to get a good look at the tree.

"Is that a…?" Rachel points to the top of the tree and Quinn follows her line of vision and lets out a laugh.

"Is that a Barbie doll?" Quinn chuckles as she points to the top of the tree as well and Brittany nods proudly at the fact that yes, it is a Barbie doll. "Fancy."

"We just got finished decorating it." Brittany explains as she turns to stand behind Santana and wrap her arms around her girlfriend's waist, resting her chin on the shorter girl's shoulder. "You missed it, I just had Santana on my shoulders to tape her up there." She motions to the top of the tree once more and the other couple laughs at the image of Santana on Brittany's shoulders trying to tape a Barbie doll to the top of a tree.

"We just ordered some dinner, should be here soon." Santana informs their friends who stop at the coat rack to hang up their jackets.

"I seriously hope its pizza." Quinn sighs out, drool practically sliding down her chin. "I have been craving."

"We got a pie and a salad and a liter of Coke." Brittany tells her friends as she lifts Santana up by the waist and carries her over to the couch, the whole while the Latina wriggles in her embrace giggling at being lifted. "And two veggie slices for Rach." She adds before nuzzling her face into Santana's neck and tickling her skin with kisses.

"I wish you didn't have to go home for Hanukah." Quinn mutters but it's loud enough for everyone to hear. "I wish the four of us could just spend the holiday here." She takes a seat on the couch pulling Rachel down with her and wrapping her arms around her as she settles against her. Santana nods her head and taps her hand against Brittany's forearm when the blonde finally puts her feet back to the ground. "You guys are my family." She admits quietly, her eyes staring down at her hands that are playing with Rachel's fingers.

"Well, we'll have New Year's." Santana announces to the room, glancing back at Brittany with a wide smile. "I mean, you guys are coming back for that right?" She asks tilting her head in her girlfriend's direction.

"I'm coming back, Rach?" Brittany says and looks over at the brunette who nods with a smile.

"Yeah, my dad's usually only celebrate hard the first four nights. We decided it has gotten a little too repetitive as I've gotten older." She bites her lower lip and looks at the tree. "That and my request of gifts have gotten way to expensive so we made a deal when I was eleven that I get four big gifts." She grins widely at her friends, Brittany beams back at her, Quinn snuggles into her cheek and Santana rolls her eyes.

"Good, so New Year's." Quinn gently taps Rachel's arm with her hand and bounces her on her lap a few times.

"We can do something crazy." Brittany cheers rocking her and Santana back and forth on the couch getting amped up for the upcoming holiday.

"Last time we did something 'crazy' I wound up waking up on the coffee table." Rachel points out and gets a strange look from her girlfriend. "And you," She points to Santana, "Looked like you just woke up somewhere at the Playboy Mansion and Brittany…" She shakes her head and leans further in to Quinn. "Nobody knows what the hell _you_ were doing." Santana nods and shakes her head remembering bits and pieces of that night she, Brittany and Rachel celebrated but then she smirks.

"But now Quinn's here." Santana points out catching all of the other girl's attention. "And I seriously can't wait to see where she wakes up."

"I'm betting the kitchen table." Quinn lets out in thought getting chuckles from her friends and girlfriend.

"No way." Brittany raises her hands waving them to completely erase that idea. "Definitely in front of the refrigerator." They howl at this image.

"Oh my God!" Santana cries out, wiping away some tears of laughter from her eyes. "With bacon like, hanging out of her mouth or stuck to her face."

The laughter continues to roar in the tiny apartment as they toss out possible outcomes of a 'crazy' night out for the four of them. They barely hear the knock on the door with their food they are laughing so hard. The night continues with making plans for New Year's Eve and where the night will take them and just enjoying the company of close friends, girlfriend's and family.


	19. Chapter 19

**_hey guys, sorry about the wait but thank you for being so patient. for those of you who follow me on tumblr, you know that i was having internet issues and that's why rather than on Saturday when i wanted to post, i am posting on Monday... anyway, this is a pretty long chapter so hopefully it makes up for the wait._**

**_it's no surprise by the extreme lack of reviews i got, or did not get, from last chapter that it was boring. i get that, but those things were needed because not only did they clear things up with Quinn it was needed to further the story. it's like those episodes we get from whatever show we're watching and we're like wtf, nothing happened? but then later on we're like 'oh yeah, okay now it's all working'... idk, that's how i see it. so i'm sorry if last chapter was a bit of a disappointment but without it, not all would make sense...:)_**

**_so, also, if you follow me on tumblr you would also know that i had said that there was over 4,000 words up in here which was just smut! well guess what, i was wrong... because it's actually MORE! (insert evil laugh) so with that said i REALLY hope this is worth the wait. so get comfy, make sure you're alone and grab a bottle of water or something, shits about to get hot... i hope:) enjoy_**

**_review pwease:)_**

* * *

><p>Brittany wakes up in the middle of the night. It's not a bad dream, stress or anxiety that stirs her it's just one of those moments during sleep when one happens to wake up. She yawns because she is still very tired and she lifts her head up to look over at the alarm clock on Santana's nightstand and she sighs when she reads its only 3:12am.<p>

Resting her head back down to the pillow she faces Santana's sleeping form and how her back slowly rises and sinks as she breathes easily. She smiles to herself and reaches her hand up to gently run her fingers through dark hair trailing down to her back. The blonde shuffles her body closer to her girlfriend's, bringing her chin to settle at Santana's shoulder and presses a soft kiss to the skin there.

She grins when she hears a content but still very sleepy sigh tumble from Santana's lips and even though she can't see her face Brittany knows the other girl is smiling. Bringing her arm back under the comforter she slips her hand to Santana's hip and squeezes it lightly and pulls their bodies a little closer together. Santana's body complies with the requests of the blonde's motions and she turns on her side pressing her back flush against Brittany's.

When Brittany's fingers play with the hem of Santana's tank top a warm hand covers her own and presses it more into tanned skin. The Latina hums out a noise as her body wriggles and shifts, arching her back subtlely against the blonde's. Brittany smirks and with her other hand brushes Santana's hair away from her shoulder, settling her lips to her neck adoring the flesh with open mouthed kisses.

"Hmm." Santana giggles out, lacing her fingers with Brittany's pushing both of their hands further up and under her top. "What are you doing?" She asks in amusement but her huskier than usual voice tells Brittany she knows exactly what's going on.

The blonde continues to shower all and any exposed flesh available to her with wet, hot kisses. She nibbles on Santana's ear lobe, sucking it between her lips before letting it slip out to kiss to the spot just below. Her breath hits the Latina's ear and Brittany can feel her shiver in her arms and the goose bumps that rise against her finger tips as she caresses Santana's toned stomach.

"I'm leaving in six hours." Brittany whispers into her ear between kisses. Santana nods, doing her best to get their bodies to be as close together as physically possible, her hands running up and down the arm that is around her. The blonde leans more forward, brushes some more hair away from Santana's face and places a peck on her cheek and smiles against her skin. "Let's get naked and make love."

Those words whispered into her ear is all that it takes for the space between Santana's legs to ache harder than it already had been and she turns her head around as far as she can to look at Brittany. She can see her, even through the darkness of their bedroom, thanks to the sliver of moonlight streaming in from the window. She smiles and even though it's not one of those wide, ear to ear smiles, it's soft and thoughtful and so full of love and it starts at her mouth but goes all the way to her eyes.

Without saying a word Santana turns herself in Brittany's arms, brings her hand up to the blonde's neck and leans forward to kiss her on the lips. The kissing starts off slow but soon enough tongues seek entrance, licking lower lips and dipping into open mouths. They smile into their kisses as their bodies push away the confinement of their comforter until it falls off at the foot of the bed. Tanned hands grip at a t-shirt, bunching it into fists and pushing it up quickly. Pale, slender fingers slide up and under a white tank top, slowly easing it up until being pushed over the swell of Santana's breasts.

Brittany winds up on top of Santana, keeping her hands at the Latina's shoulders where she holds the tank top up and she leans down to carefully take a nipple between her lips. A breathe of a moan slips from Santana's parted lips as she takes in a quick breath, the feeling of Brittany's lips and tongue playing with her body causing her hips to move of their own accord. She smiles when the blonde moves to the other, her back arches up for more contact as her hands get lost in a sea of blonde, completely forgetting about the t-shirt she has been trying to remove.

She lifts her head and watches Brittany go to town on her breasts, making sure to give each one equal and very necessary attention. When the blonde sits up, removing her lips from Santana's skin, she quickly discards the t-shirt still covering her own body and giving Santana a moment to finish in taking off her tank top. Tops now both on the floor, or somewhere else in the room, Brittany smiles as she once again brings her body down to Santana's this time just hovering over the shorter girl's body.

They both watch as Brittany lowers herself just enough for their breasts, nipples specifically, to brush up against each other. They gasp at the simple touch, but even the tiniest of contact is igniting what is to come and they can feel the buildup deep down. Her head leans down and forward, bringing their lips together once again in a heated kiss.

Santana grips the back of Brittany's head by her hair to pull her harder into the kiss, her other hand trailing down the middle of the dancer's back. Her nails dig into pale flesh when Brittany hums into her mouth a moan and lightly grinds her hips down into Santana's. The blonde's lips move from the Latina's, ghosting over pressure points and gliding her tongue between her girlfriend's breasts as she lowers herself down the body beneath her.

"_God_ baby." Santana grunts, her knees bend in anticipation and the tickling feeling of Brittany's lips and tongue caressing her skin everywhere. Her hands move from the back of Brittany's hair to the sides where she tucks the loose blonde hair behind her ears and cups her cheeks. "_Mmm_." She bites her lower lip and smirks as she watches Brittany praise every inch of her body.

With one last kiss to skin covering Santana's hip bone Brittany sits up, her hands still palming the Latina's body she smiles down at her girl. Her nose scrunches as she beckons the smaller girl to sit up to bring them face to face. Santana, without hesitation, pushes herself up at her elbows till her hands are flat against the bed and she is sitting up with her face inches away from the blonde's. They grin and Santana wraps her arm around Brittany's neck gently pulling her in for an open mouthed kiss, poking her tongue out to lick at the blonde's lower lip. She shudders when her girlfriend's fingers trace patterns down her sides until coming to the waistband of her shorts.

Brittany tucks her fingers into the fabric, the action initiating Santana to lift herself up from the mattress enough for the blonde to tug at the shorts and pull them away from her girlfriend's lower half. She pulls her lips away from Santana's again, smirk still in place and she slowly pulls the shorts over her thighs, knees till they are over her ankles and away from her body. Turning back to face the Latina after tossing her shorts far away from them she chews on her lower lip as she lets her eyes travel from tanned ankles, calves, thighs, hips until finally meeting those chocolate colored eyes that have been watching her intently. She flattens her hand against Santana's thigh and slides it up her body to her chest where she gently nudges her girlfriend to lie back down.

"Lay down babe." Brittany tells her kindly, her voice so calm. Santana of course listens and carefully lowers herself back to the bed once more, keeping her eyes fixed on the blonde kneeling before her. The dark haired girl gulps as her girlfriend's fingers trail down her legs, moving to the inside of her thighs, Santana spreads her legs further apart preparing herself.

Brittany chuckles at Santana's anxiousness and quickly moves her fingers back to the outsides of tanned thighs and over knees, gliding them down calves until encircling ankles, rubbing her thumb against the skin there. She tugs at the shorter girl's ankles with both hands till the girl gives in and allows her limbs to be manipulated by the blonde. Brittany lifts up Santana's right leg and rests it at her shoulder, turns her head towards it and kisses that tiny spot beside that ankle bone that sticks out.

She tickles up Santana's leg with her fingers, the outside and the inside respectively, her lips following the path of her fingers. The back of her hand grazes the skin of her girlfriend's knee where it bends and she kisses the inside of the same spot, her eyes locked into Santana's. Her shoulder moves to the spot her hand just was, at the bend of the Latina's knee as she presses her lips to the inside of her thigh while her other hand runs up and down the top of her other leg.

"_Brittany_." Santana's breathe hitches in the back of her throat, watching her girlfriend move at such a slow pace is so excruciatingly painful but so arousing and she just needs to feel more of her everywhere.

The blonde searches the Latina's darkened eyes, never once moving her lips from her caramel colored skin but reaches her hand up over a toned stomach, brushing over her breast till her fingers graze Santana's chin. The shorter girl grabs at her girlfriend's wrist and lifts her head to press her lips to Brittany's finger tips just before sliding one of the digits passed her lips and into her mouth, sucking on it gently.

"_Ugh_." Brittany groans out, leaning her head into the inside of Santana's thigh needing to squeeze her own legs together at the sight of her girlfriend's actions. "You're so sexy Santana." The blonde breathes out against the Latina's core and watches her finger slip out of Santana's lips as the shorter girl gasps at the puff of air hitting her most intimate spot. Her hips cant up, wanting more than just a breath of air touching her, needing Brittany's lips and tongue kissing her centre and inside of her. "You're the sexiest," She leans that last bit downward letting her lips place a quick, barely there kiss to Santana's core making the girl gasp. "Smartest," She grins and performs the same action, loving the airy sounds emanating from her girlfriend. "Most incredible person I've ever met." She tells the dark haired girl before kissing her soaked center for the third time, longer than the first few times and with more purpose other than a teasing brush of her lips.

Brittany closes her eyes when she pokes her tongue out to lick her lips, humming in appreciation at the taste of Santana and quickly diving in for more. Santana's eyes roll in the back of her head, her hips roll up and into Brittany's mouth and her hand covers the pale hand gripping at her breast.

"_Oh_." Santana moans, her other hand grabs at the bed sheet then moves to Brittany's shoulder until finally clutching a handful of blonde hair. She swallows roughly, her throat and mouth dry from hanging open and taking in sharp gulps of air to fill her lungs.

"Mmm." The blonde sighs against her girlfriend's core while continuing to lick and kiss her delicately, slowly increasing pressure and pace. Brittany slides her hand from her girlfriend's breast to her stomach, fingers gliding over the thin layer of sweat already formed on her tanned skin as she does her best to control her hips and enjoy the pace being set. "Tell me what you want baby." Brittany says in a hushed voice, only meant for them to hear, and she quickly places a kiss to the inside of her thigh before licking up Santana's dripping entrance flicking her clit in the process.

"_Ungh._" The high pitched noise pops from Santana's lips and her hips thrust up at the sensation and the fact that Brittany wants to hear about her sexual desires of the moment. She runs her fingers through her damp dark hair, grips it at the top of her head and licks her lips as she lifts her head to see Brittany at work between her legs. "Don't stop." She breathes out, her throat moves up and down not sure if she needs to swallow or if she can even speak more words. Blue eyes stare deeply into brown eyes and Brittany leans her head into Santana's thigh continuing to kiss and lick at her girlfriend. "I want you to…" She moans loudly, not even able to finish her request because Brittany doesn't need to be told what to do, she already knows that Santana wants her to stick her tongue inside of her as far as she possible can and rub her upper lip against her clit. "_Fuck_." She grinds herself into Brittany's face making the blonde's eyes shut tight as well as her own legs to quell her ever growing and nearly erupting arousal.

Brittany removes her tongue from deep inside of Santana making the girl breath out hard trying to get more oxygen into her lungs and then thrusts in and out of her quickly. Tanned fingers dig into a pale shoulder, gripping tightly then flattening her palm to the skin only to dig again into Brittany's shoulder.

"_Uh… uh… uh_." Santana pants and grunts, her hips desperately trying to match each and every movement of Brittany's skilled tongue, groaning out in everlasting pleasure when the blonde pushes far into her and staying still for the briefest of seconds.

The dancer once again removes her tongue, licks up and down her soaked centre, up a final time flicking the tip of her tongue over the hard bud just above her entrance causing the Latina to shiver and her legs to shake against Brittany's shoulder and the side of her head. She flattens her tongue over her clit, pressing forward for more pressure and moves her head up and down for harder friction.

"Oh… _ungh_!" Santana yells out into their bedroom, the sound bouncing off of the walls and dancing around them as it echoes in their ears along with their quickening heart beats. "_Yes_… baby, mhmm yes!" She moves her hand and fingers into blonde hair again rubbing her fingertips against Brittany's scalp as she continues her assault on Santana's clit, taking it between her lips and sucking on it with desire.

She feels Brittany's hand slip from her body, down her legs until completely away from her skin. The blonde tucks her fingers into the waistband of her panties and pushes them down herself as she keeps Santana's clit between her lips. Once her panties are down to her knees she uses her legs to further them down to her ankles and kicks them off of her to the floor and brings her hands back up to grip Santana's thighs.

Her right hand moves from Santana's leg to the inside of her thigh and to where her lips are enclosed on the hard bud in her mouth and she slowly removes her lips to let her thumb take over. Santana gulps, gasps and searches for air at the new part of Brittany touching her as well as from the loss of the blonde's tongue and lips touching and tasting her.

The blonde moves into a kneeling position, her thumb still moving in circles against Santana's clit, but a little slower than her tongue had been doing before. Santana's eyes snap open at the change in pace and the feeling of her girlfriend moving. She locks eyes that are glazed over and a slightly darker blue, the blue she knows that is fired with lust and love and desire and passion. Brittany shifts herself a bit closer to Santana, rakes her free hand over her thigh up to her stomach and palms her breast giving it a squeeze. She bites her lower lip and lifts Santana's leg up to her shoulder once again, resting her knee there and kissing the inside of it quickly before looking back at her girlfriend.

She adjusts her hand, keeping her thumb in its current position, but moves it so her finger tips press gently against Santana's entrance, sliding them up and down the wetness. Santana's mouth hangs open as she watches Brittany watch the expressions change over her face. She turns her face again to kiss the inside of her girlfriend's leg while she slips the tip of her finger inside of her.

"_Yes_." Santana moans out airily, her hips moving up desperate for more penetration. Brittany presses a few open mouth kisses to tanned legs, pulling her finger out slowly before thrusting it all the way inside of her. "_Ungh_." The Latina grunts, her own hand flying slapping her forehead and gripping her dark hair in her fist. "More," She breathes out, closing her eyes momentarily. "_More, please."_ Without hesitation Brittany pushes a second finger inside of her girlfriend, thrusting in and out of her at a quickening pace. "_Oh my God!_" Santana yells out, her head thrashing from side to side as Brittany's fingers push deep inside of her with each thrust. "I love you…_fuck_, I love you Britt…_ uh_!" Her voice is strained and loud and husky and it's so hot Brittany's hips begin to move due to the ever growing heat and pulsation in her core.

"_Mmm, _I love you baby." Brittany says against the inside of her knee, kissing the spot over and over again, her hand sliding up and down her thigh.

"_Jesus,_" She hisses, her hand moves from her own hair to the forearm of the hand on her thigh and she squeezes it tightly. "_Fuck_, more, _more… harder_." She begs, her words coming out quick and concise as she pleads with the blonde for a third finger to be entered into her. Brittany bites her lower lip, watching her girlfriend frantic to get more of everything from her and she tentatively adjusts her hand to add another finger at the Latina's request. It's a bit of a tight fit but she manages to fit a third finger inside of Santana whose eyes pop open, her body still and she pants heavily at the newest digit inside of her. "_Oh. My. God._" Santana cries out in a sort of shock, stuttering over her words in the attempt to breath at the same time while she nods her head in utter approval and pleasure.

Her eyes squeeze shut when Brittany begins thrusting in and out of her, harder than before and her mouth hangs open letting out tiny grunts and loud moans encouraging the blonde onward. Brittany lets Santana's leg drop from her shoulder and she moves to lean over the Latina, resting her hand at the side of her face while she continues to move her fingers in and out of her core.

Santana smiles through heavy breathing when she opens her eyes to see Brittany looking down at her with the same look on her face. Her hands come up to the sides of the blonde's face, cupping her cheeks and lifts her head from the pillow to bring their lips together. It's a quick kiss and the back of her head is soon resting on the pillow once again but her hands stay still, fingers brushing stray blonde hairs out of the way.

Her hips move up and into Brittany's hand in the attempt to match each and every thrust given. The blonde tilts her head to the side and presses her lips to Santana's, trailing tiny kisses from there to her cheek then to her neck before nibbling on the soft skin of her shoulder panting against it. The Latina wraps her arms around the blonde's neck and pulls her against her till their bodies are pressed to one another's, skin sliding against skin.

"_Uh_." Brittany moans at the feeling of Santana's breasts rubbing against her own and she bites down a little harder on her shoulder. "You feel _so good_ Santana." She mumbles against slick from sweat flesh, licking at her lips tasting the salt dripping from her girlfriend's skin as well as the arousal she was feasting on moments ago.

She turns her head, her nose pressing into Santana's cheek and she sees the Latina's eyes shut tightly, her mouth wide open as bursts of air, pants of moans and squeaks of pleasure pop out and her tongue flickers out as though to taste the sounds coming out of her. Brittany can tell Santana is trying to hold on, wanting every sensation and feeling to last as long as humanly possible but she can feel the muscles around her three fingers tightening and pulsating for release. The blonde grins through her heavy breathing, places a quick, slightly open mouthed kiss to Santana's neck before leaning her forehead into her girlfriend's temple and gasping into her ear, working her fingers faster and harder.

"Go on baby," Brittany coos into her ear, nipping at her earlobe as she speaks. "Tell me how good it feels." It's more of a request than anything. Brittany finds nothing sexier and hotter than when Santana tells her exactly how she is making her feel when they are in the throes of lovemaking. The prospect of the Latina doing just that, especially after the blonde asks for it makes Brittany even wetter and the throbbing between her legs to become almost unbearable to ignore. "Tell _me_." She begs again and the way they her breath hits the inside of Santana's ear causes her hips to move erratically into Brittany's hand, desperate to take in those skilled fingers more fully and with more pressure. "Tell me how it feels when I'm inside of you." She licks the patch of skin just below Santana's earlobe which elicits a high pitched whimper from the Latina, her grip on Brittany's back and neck only tightening as she bucks her hips up.

"Eres tan jodidamente increíble!" Santana calls out in grunts as she turns her head so her mouth is by Brittany's ear. "Vete a la mierda me lo Buena." She hisses into her girlfriend's ear and the blonde can feel the blush, even through all of the heavy breathing, panting and the exertion, she can feel it creep up her neck and to her cheeks at the words she knows Santana is speaking. "_Ungh!" _She groans, her palms flatten against the pale, sweaty skin of her girlfriend still pressed up against her.

With a quick kiss placed at Brittany's cheek Santana's thighs squeeze tightly around the dancers torso and tanned hips grind up and hard. The blonde continues pumping in and out of Santana's centre even when she feels the girl beneath her start to quiver and shake against her. Santana's fingers dig into Brittany's back, then relax only to press harder into the soft skin to once again give out till her hands completely slide off of the blonde's back and to the bed.

Her fists grip at the bedding, then to her hair as her body writhes and works itself over Brittany's fingers. The heels of her palms cover her eyes as she grunts with each and every thrust Brittany gives her and finally runs her fingers through her hair and clutching it at the top of her head and looks at Brittany watching her. The blonde lifts her head to bring herself to eye level with her girlfriend, leans down to nip at the Latina's lower lip as guttural moans pour from her throat and drip off of her tongue.

"_Br… Britt… uh, uh, uh…_" Her back arches as she grunts out with an almost finality to her moaning. Brittany brings her forehead to press into Santana's chest as she girl reaches her orgasm, nearly sitting up into the blonde for an epic, earth shattering climax. The blonde takes this opportunity to latch onto one of Santana's nipples, letting her teeth graze the stiff peek and pokes her tongue out to soothe it. "_Fuck. Fuck… dios mio_!" Santana shouts, her hands finally free from her dampened dark locks and smacking against Brittany's back to clutch onto her. "Brittany!" Her voice seems to get louder and louder the longer she rides her wave of pleasure, probably because Brittany has not slowed down her pace in the least or how hard she's moving into Santana. She brings one of her hands to cup Brittany's cheek, moving her from her chest and resting their foreheads together.

"Let it all go baby." Brittany tells her, she finds it hard to talk now but the words do actually come out. She offers her girlfriend a small smile of encouragement and that's when she feels those muscles around her fingers pulsate in and out and then tightly wrap around her fingers and Santana's hips still for a moment.

"_Hmph, oh… my…_" The rest of her words fall from her tongue, her jaw drops and her eyes widen, locking into those blues that are staring back at her. Brittany sees her chest stutter, the beating of her heart pounding so hard her breasts lightly bounce up and down and she shivers herself when Santana's hips rock expertly, roll deliciously and grind hard one final time against her hand and on her fingers. "Oh, _yes_!" It comes out like a sigh of relief mixed in with a moan and Santana's head soon falls to that of her girlfriend's shoulder. She pants heavily as Brittany slowly removes her fingers to wrap both arms around her girlfriend who is now sitting in her lap.

Her hands and fingers run gently up and down the Latina's back, caressing the moist skin and breathing out unsteadily but with a smile at the feeling of goose bumps forming under her fingertips. She turns her head and presses her lips to Santana's temple that has her dark hair sticking to it but Brittany just keeps her lips there a little longer not really caring. She hums against her girlfriend's skin, tightens her grip around her and smirks with pride as she holds a limp, semi-comatose Santana in her arms whose hips are still moving of their own volition.

She moves her head till her cheek is resting against Santana's and her chin is perfectly situated where her neck and shoulder meet. Her lips find skin once again and she kisses the bits she can reach without jostling their comfortable position. Brittany closes her eyes, lets out a sigh after finally catching her breath slightly and grins because she can feel that lazy smile forming on Santana's lips against her own shoulder.

Her eyebrows furrow a bit when she feels Santana's lips move on her skin, and the buzzing feeling of muffled words being spoken against her body. She giggles and turns her head more into Santana's while running her fingers down the Latina's spine as she nudges her nose into the damp dark hair.

"What baby?" She softly inquires, letting her hand stop moving when she reaches her girlfriend's lower back, moving with the rocking motion Santana's lower body has been doing since her orgasm.

Santana kisses Brittany's shoulder, leaving the spot wet from her tongue, before she lifts her head and turns to face the blonde. She clears her throat, swallows smoothly and grins a goofy grin, her eyes flickering from blue eyes to pouty lips.

"I said, best-orgasm-ever." Santana repeats, her voice raspy from it being so early in the morning and from all of the yelling she had been doing. Brittany scrunches her nose and tilts her head enjoying the glazed over look in Santana's chocolate colored eyes. The blonde slowly leans in and presses her lips to Santana's causing them both to hum in reaction and smile at one another. "You know what I want to do right now?" She asks as she pulls away from her girlfriend's lips, watching her open her eyes slowly at the loss of contact.

"Hmm?" Brittany grins back and Santana leans forward again but this time rests her forehead against the blonde's.

"I want to go down on you until you have to get on that plane." She reveals in a low, husky voice and Brittany is pretty certain she can taste the sex off of her breath as the words float through the air.

A small whimper climbs up from Brittany's throat and gets lost somewhere on her tongue but that much she doesn't care about. What she is focused on right now is the fact that her centre is still throbbing, she's almost positive that she is so wet that it's probably dripped onto their sheets from her thighs and most importantly, Santana's rocking her hips bringing her own core so close to Brittany's. Just the simple thought of the proximity of their centres brings the blonde very close to the edge, it's quite possible that any sort of friction could cause her to fall apart completely.

Not even giving Brittany the chance to breathe Santana crashes their lips together in a heated kiss. It's not rushed but mouths are open and tongues are immediately battling one another for dominance. The Latina takes the blonde's lower lip between her teeth and bites down gently as she tugs on it, soothing her light bite marks with her lips sucking on it till it pops from their grip. Brittany leans backwards, lowering her back to the bed and pulling Santana along with her so that her girlfriend is lying on top of her.

Her legs spread when Santana situates her own body between them, grinding her hips down and into Brittany, their clits brushing up against one another. They gasp at the feeling and so Santana does it again only to be met halfway by Brittany whose hips cant up for the same friction but a firmer touch the second time around. Her hands shoot down to cup the Latina's ass cheeks, pulling her lower body to move the same way and keeping her there while her own hips do the work.

Santana grins and moves her lips from Brittany's to kiss down her jaw line and to her neck, sucking on the soft flesh of her shoulder and letting her tongue lick the sweat still lingering. She moans at the sweet taste of Brittany's skin mixed with the salt of her exertion from getting the Latina off. Her fingers trail up the blonde's side, tickling the spaces between her ribs as she moves upwards until finally moving her hand over and grabbing Brittany's breast.

"_Uh_." Brittany gasps and her body arches up into the touch of her lover needing to feel it so much harder than just the ghosting of Santana's fingers and light graze of her palm.

Luscious lips soon move from her shoulder to her neck again as they travel lower and lower kissing at the flat part of her chest to just above the breast that is not covered by a tanned hand. Santana kisses around Brittany's left breast, making sure to go the whole way around nudging it with her nose as she tilts her head to flick her tongue out and taste the flesh. Her lips latch themselves around the blonde's stiff nipple, sucking on it hard and flicking her tongue at the tip making her girlfriend squirm beneath her.

She presses her cheek against the space between Brittany's breasts, watching her hand squeeze and manipulate the blonde's right breast in her hand becoming aroused once again at the sight of her touching Brittany. Santana lowers her body, her mouth meeting the toned muscles of the dancers stomach kissing the middle, the sides and around her belly button and trailing the bottom of her tongue all the way down stopping the wet path just before hitting her clit.

Brittany grunts, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding in and her hips move up to feel a part of Santana against her _there_. Santana grins into her skin and finally settles herself between Brittany's legs wrapping her arms around the blonde's thighs, running her hands up and down the skin covering her protruding hip bones. She brings her focus to her destination and licks her lips at the sight of Brittany's glistening core, just waiting for her to be taken and she swallows hard.

Santana leans in, her lips brushing up against Brittany's clit and moves them lower to press a ghost of a kiss to her entrance and inhales deeply. Her eyes close and roll back into her head as she takes in the scent of Brittany's arousal, needing to close her own legs tight to curb her own. After kisses to the inside of the blonde's thighs Santana looks up to meet lust filled blue eyes that have grown so dark and she bites her lower lip. Her grip loosens on Brittany's body and she seeks the blonde's hands in her own which is granted immediately. She takes those hands and guides them to her own cheeks, leaning into one lovingly.

"Show me how you want it." She breathes out against Brittany's centre, watching how the blonde's chest rises and falls quickly as her breath hitches in the back of her throat. When Brittany's eyebrows furrow Santana brings her hand to cover the back of Brittany's, hopefully in explanation. "_Show me how you want it_." She whispers out again, emphasizing her words, speaking slowly for good measure.

Brittany's lower lip quivers, her forehead smoothes out and her mouth hangs open slightly as she nods her head in understanding. Taking her lower lip between her teeth Brittany gently guides Santana's head with her hands closer to her until she can feel her lips at her entrance. The Latina pushes forward hoping Brittany will not worry about being too gentle with her and when her lips are pressed up against the blonde's entrance in an open mouthed kiss she feels the fingers on her cheeks move to grip her hair.

"_Mmph._" Brittany moans while Santana full on kisses her dripping core while her hands pull the girl's face closer and closer against her. The Latina hums out in appreciation when she licks her lips and tastes Brittany on her tongue. "_Oh_." The blonde groans, her thighs squeeze in momentarily, a reflex from the stimulation between them. She scoots herself lower, wanting to bring herself flush against Santana's mouth and needing so much more than just kisses. "Use your tongue." She whines out breathlessly.

She grunts when she feels Santana's tongue poke out from her lips and lick up and down her entrance, quickly flicking her clit in the process and in reaction her fingers delve further into those dark locks. Her legs wrap around Santana's body, her heels dig into her lower back as she squeezes her legs together.

"Oh _my God_," Brittany whispers, licking her lips quickly to moisten them and clenches her jaw. "Oh, _oh… yeah baby._ Mhmm, _yes_." She encourages Santana to continue her ministrations, working her tongue up and down her wet slit every now and again kissing her clit. "Ugh." The blonde groans, fists Santana's hair at the back of her head and pulls her closer and cants her hips up. "Put your tongue inside me." Santana moans against her girlfriend and complies with the request and thrusts her tongue deep inside of Brittany, humming as she does so, becoming intoxicated with the taste as she always does. "_Hmph… uh!_" The blonde's nose scrunches and her eyes screw shut when she feels Santana's tongue plunge into her.

The Latina continues to thrust in and out of her girlfriend, taking the time to move her mouth up to wrap her lips around the blonde's clit and suck hard on it. Brittany's grip on Santana's hair only tightens the further she is being driven over the edge. She yanks on her hair to guide her where she wants her and fists it tightly when a certain flick of her tongue shoots tingles from her stomach to her toes.

"_Oh_, baby you taste _so…_" Santana whimpers pressing her lips to the inside of Brittany's thigh briefly before diving back in to her soaked pussy. One of her arms unhooks from around one of the dancer's legs and her fingers tickle up the inside of her leg, stopping just where her mouth and Brittany connect. She pulls her lips away again and replaces her tongue and mouth with one of her fingers and watches as it easily slides in and out of the blonde. "_Mmm_," She moans out, watching Brittany's juices cover her finger. "You're so wet for me B."

"_Shit_." Brittany hisses at the feeling of Santana pushing her finger all the way inside of her and keeping her hand still for a few moments before slowly sliding it out only to slam it back inside of her. "_Ungh. Fuck. Me._" Santana smirks and nods as she slides out again but when she thrusts back inside she adds a second finger. "_Dios mio, _Santana!" The blonde shouts and her hands are desperate to pull Santana's mouth back into the mix and she drags her in by the hair.

Soon Santana's pumping two fingers in and out of Brittany while she sucks on her clit, letting her tongue flick the hard nub while her lips press around it. She curls her fingers inside of the blonde, looking for that spot that makes her girlfriend's legs shake like crazy and her jaw to hang open. She finds it almost instantly and just as she expected Brittany's legs tighten around her body and quiver uncontrollably as her mouth stays wide open, gasping for air and grunting out moans and words that don't make sentences.

"San… uh… don't…_mmm, mhmm._" A squeak pops out of the taller girl's mouth, her hips trying to match the rhythm Santana has created between them and her hands clutch at dark hair. "_Uh… oh, oh. _Suck right… _please_."

Santana focuses her attention everywhere, her eyes glancing up to watch Brittany's expressions and the way her head tilts to the side which tells her she is so close to coming. Her fingers thrusting in and out of Brittany so fast and so hard there's a burning sensation in her forearm but she can get over that. Her lips sucking like there's no tomorrow on her girlfriend's clit while flicking the hardened bud with her tongue.

"_Harder_." Brittany whimpers and Santana grunts as she tries her best to obey the blonde's wishes but she really isn't sure how much longer she can last.

She can feel it in the way Brittany's hips are moving up and into her motions, the way her legs are quivering each time she presses her tongue harder against her clit and the muscles tightening around her fingers. She knows that after a few hard thrusts Brittany is going to combust. So, with that in mind she puts all she can into the last three pumps of her fingers and on the third keeps her fingers buried deep inside while her tongue continues its assault on the blonde's clit.

Brittany's eyes pop open and her hips move up and forward to ensure Santana's fingers and tongue are not going anywhere anytime soon, she even rocks her hips for the most friction with her girlfriend's tongue. Her chest heaves, her head bobs back and forth as it lifts from the mattress and her toes curl and then spread apart.

"_Ungh, Santana_!" Her voice cracks at the end, almost to high pitched for her to actually get the words out, her finger fall from dark hair and clamp onto the tanned skin of Santana's shoulder, gripping at it furiously. One leg on Santana's shoulder straightens out while the other knocks into the side of her head but she doesn't mind she's still focusing and she starts to move her fingers in and out of Brittany once again. "_Oh!_" The blonde shouts, not at all expecting Santana's fingers to start moving while she is mid orgasm, but it is a pleasant surprise and her hips move in time with the thrusts. "Don't stop, _don't_…" She clenches her jaw tightly, her nails dig into Santana's back and she arches up into Santana's touches. "Faster." She demands breathlessly, not sure when the first orgasm ended and this second one even began. "Oh _my God, oh my God… oh, uh…_" It's like a chant and all it does is egg Santana on.

Her body goes stiff, back arched, thighs trapping Santana's head, one hand lost in a sea of dark hair the other holding on to Santana's shoulder for dear life and a deep throaty moan pouring out of her mouth. Santana stills herself completely. Her tongue stops moving over Brittany's clit, her fingers stop sliding in and out of Brittany's centre, she doesn't even breathe she just watches.

After a few very long seconds Brittany's body falls limp, her hands drop from Santana's body, her thighs finally release her from their death grip and as she tries catching her breath she sighs out tiny moans unable to keep her body completely still any longer. She squirms around on the bed, lazily, but still relishing in the two amazing orgasms she just experienced, back to back.

She grins, her eyes hooded as she looks down at Santana still perched between her legs and giggles as the girl removes her fingers from inside of her. Santana kisses the spot between her legs once more, gently of course, and then kisses the inside of her thighs out of complete worship. Brittany finally gains strength in her limbs and she raises her arm to bring her hand to Santana's cheek where she caresses it with the pad of her thumb. Santana looks up at her and smiles softly, receiving the same smile in return.

"Tell me you love me." Brittany breathes out, still not having caught it yet. Santana presses her lips hard to her hip, leaving them there for a couple of moments before crawling completely on top of the blonde.

"I love you." She whispers onto her girlfriend's lip, leaning down and every so lightly brushing their lips together. "You're my beautiful lady." The Latina grins before letting her body collapse onto the blonde's, resting her head onto the dancer's chest and closing her eyes at the feeling of Brittany's fingers tickling up and down her bare back. "Tell me…" Santana asks, her voice so small and it cracks slightly, like a shy child asking for something. Brittany smiles from ear to ear, lifts her head a bit to kiss the top of Santana's head.

"I love you." She mumbles into her still very damp hair. "You're like, the Reese's to my Pieces." Santana giggles, her body shaking the one beneath her in the process. "The spoon to my ice cream…" Her voice trails off letting Santana know that she is thinking of another comparison and the Latina smirks to herself and nuzzles further into the blonde under her.

"You're the jelly to my donut." Santana murmurs getting a light chuckle from her girlfriend.

"Exactly."

* * *

><p>When the alarm goes off at 7:30am in their bedroom Santana is the one to wake up, roll over and shut it off. As she rolls back she rolls into Brittany's back, which is now pressed up against her. Her arm instantly finds the spot it was, around her stomach and tucked just underneath her breast. She props her head up with her other hand and lets her chin rest gently to the blonde's shoulder and decides to watch her sleep for a little while longer.<p>

Brittany's lips are slightly parted while she sleeps, her hair is splayed across the entire pillow case and come over her cheek but it looks to adorable to move and tuck behind her ear. Her fists are bunched under her chin while her legs are tangled up with Santana's. Brown eyes trace over every curve of the blonde's body and how it fits perfectly with her own. Santana blushes a little because as her eyes travel downwards she realizes that they hadn't picked the comforter up from the floor and had fallen asleep under the cover of the other's body. But, it feels so good to not have to worry about parents walking in these days and Rachel and Quinn definitely know better than to just barge in… anymore anyhow.

She brings her lips to press tiny barely there kisses down Brittany's arm, letting her nose come to skin and breathe in the natural scent that is Brittany. Her eyes close and she can't ever recall Brittany smelling differently. She always smelled like baby shampoo and lavender, it is an intoxicating scent and she wonders if their children will smell as good as the blonde.

"What time is it?" Brittany mumbles, sleep still evident in her voice. Santana chuckles, it figures that she has been up the whole time but she isn't embarrassed when it comes to the blonde so she looks over to see that it is now 7:42am. "Ugh, so early." She grumbles getting a morning kiss on her neck from the Latina.

"Mhmm." Santana hums out in agreement, resting her cheek against Brittany's and cuddling a little closer to her. "I'll make you some pancakes while you go shower." She tells the blonde who presses her backside against the shorter girl in appreciation. "Now get." Santana jokes, playfully slapping her girlfriend on the ass to get her up. Brittany yelps and bats Santana's hands away from her but loses the fight when tanned arms wrap around her waist and hold her still. "You're so hot when you're all tired and don't want to get up." She says into her ear.

"Santana." Brittany whines trying to contain her smirk and grips her girlfriend's forearm. "God, I just wish this Christmas break was _you, me, no clothes_… the end."

"Me too." Santana grumbles burying her face into Brittany's long blonde hair. "It would be fucking awesome if it was just us for like, the whole week… here, ya know?" Brittany nods in agreement and after a few moments she pats her girlfriends arm and she moves to get up and start getting ready to head back to Lima for Christmas vacation.

Brittany grabs her towel hanging on the back of their door, wraps it around her and heads towards the bathroom leaving Santana to throw on some clothes and make her breakfast like she promised. With a huff, the Latina pushes herself up from their bed, grabs the comforter that wound up in front of the television and threw the thing on the mattress, she can make the bed later. She pouts as she opens Brittany's drawers and grabs her favorite pair of sweats and one of the blonde tiniest t-shirts and pulls them on before heading out to the kitchen.

The door to Rachel and Quinn's room is closed and she inwardly cringes and bites her lower lip. She completely forgot that although Rachel left two days ago to go home to Lima, Quinn was in fact still very much home. Not that it matters, she reasons as she finally makes a right into the kitchen, even shrugging her shoulders at the thought, she doesn't really give two shits if people hear her and Brittany having sex. For all she cares everyone can suck it.

Santana hums to herself as she grabs the ingredients for the pancakes she promised her girlfriend, pulling out mixing bowls and spoons and a pan. She tilts her head to the side as she begins to stir and thinks about that giant skillet her mother has and how awesome it is to make pancakes. They should probably invest in one of those at some point because pancakes off of the skillet are the best.

When Brittany steps out of the shower she carefully wraps her towel around her before moving to stand in front of the mirror. She leans forward to wipe the fog from the mirror and smiles when she sees her reflection clearly. After brushing her hair she throws her brush into a small bag, the same with her curling iron, straightener along with a few hair ties.

Her bags are already packed, Santana had tried to tell her she could do it all the morning of but Brittany likes to be prepared just in case. She twists her lips as she stands in front of their shared closet in deciding what to wear. Plane rides suck in general, but what's worse is when one is on a horrible plan ride in uncomfortable clothing. So she opts for a pair of comfortable jeans, a t-shirt paired with Santana's Cheerio's jacket. She throws her hair up in a ponytail, not really caring if it's neat or perfect and she grabs her bag to drag it to the door. After placing it against the wall she places the Cheerio's jacket over it and smiles as the sweet smell of pancakes waft through the air and into her senses.

"Baby that smells so good." She tells Santana when she enters the kitchen. The Latina glances over her should and grins, sending her girl a quick wink.

"Take a seat mama, everything's almost ready." Santana flips the last of the batch of pancakes onto a big plate and carries it over with the syrup placing both in the middle of the table. Before sitting down she grabs the orange juice from the refrigerator and the coffee pot setting them down to the table as well. "Juice?" She asks, shuffling her seat closer to Brittany's and moves to sit down. Brittany nods and grins as Santana stands up to reach her glass.

"Wait." Brittany tells her while she's in the middle of setting the juice container down and crouched down ready to take her seat but the blonde's words and hand on her hip stop her. The dancer smiles sweetly, a glint of something in her eye and she reaches her other hand around to pull Santana down by the waist to sit onto her lap.

"Ahh!" Santana giggles as she is thrown off balance landing in her girlfriend's lap, toned, pale arms wrap around her middle and hold her close. "What are you doing crazy girl?" The Latina sighs, settling herself comfortably onto her girlfriend placing her hands on the blonde's forearms and caressing them softly. Brittany hums out, presses her lips to Santana's neck and sways them back and forth on the chair.

"Let's share a plate." The blonde says simply, motioning her hand towards the plate set out in front of them and she kisses Santana's neck softly.

Normally Santana would think something like this is silly, because there is more than enough plates and silverware in their apartment for someone to have their own plate of pancakes. Any other time she may even scoff at such a suggestion, but, this isn't just anyone and this is most definitely not something silly. Well, she thinks, it is silly but it's all so very fucking cute and she doesn't even hesitate in stacking up a few pancakes on one plate, drizzling syrup over it and cutting a piece before offering it to her girlfriend.

"Mmm, you really make the best breakfast." Brittany comments, moaning at the deliciousness in her mouth, her words coming out all jumbled because her mouth is full.

Santana smiles widely at the blonde, watching her enjoy the first bite and watches as Brittany's hand takes the fork from her and cuts another piece before poking it and holding it out for Santana. The Latina gladly takes the food in front of her and has to nod in agreement that her pancakes are by the best in creation.

"I want to teach you how to make these babe." She motions towards the plate, taking the fork from Brittany once more, stabbing a bite size stack of pancakes and making sure to get a lot of syrup on it. "I bet you could make some kick ass chocolate chip pancakes." She holds her hand under the fork in case of any dripping syrup and grins as Brittany's lips cover the metal utensil taking away the yummy treat.

"When do we have to leave?" Brittany asks, licking her lips before taking a quick sip of orange juice. Santana glances over her shoulder to the clock that they had hung on the wall of their tiny kitchen and twists her lips as she reads.

"Um, like half an hour." She informs the blonde and they both nod quietly. "This sucks." Santana mutters, her eyes staring down at the fork Brittany is twirling between her fingers and she closes her eyes when she feels her girlfriend lean her cheek against her shoulder and let out a sigh.

"Yeah, but I mean…" Brittany begins slowly, nudging her nose against the smooth caramel colored skin peeking out of the short sleeve of the shirt Santana has on. "Just think of all of the other Christmases we are going to be spending together." She watches as the words sink into the Latina, how it washes away the sadness she is feeling and how the tiniest of smirks appears on her lips. "This is just _one _day out of a whole year and there are like," She pauses, tilts her head and Santana looks back at her and knows she's thinking really hard about how many days are in a year. "A whole lot of other days, months even, that we get to spend together. That's like, a _lot_ of days." She smiles proudly at Santana who leans over to press their lips together in a chaste kiss.

"You're the smartest person I know B." She whispers out, resting her forehead against the blonde's. "And I hope you're almost done with breakfast because…" She wriggles her eyebrows suggestively and that's all it really takes for Brittany to take one last bite of pancakes and push the plate away from her.

* * *

><p>The first knock goes unnoticed. The second knock receives a grunt but is not heard by either girl. The third knock is louder and followed by a groggy voice but is muffled by the wooden door. The fourth knock isn't so much a knock but more of a loud banging that turns into the fifth and sixth knock. Brittany raises her head and opens her eyes. It's a lot brighter in the room than earlier and she has to shut her eyes once again because she needs to readjust.<p>

Her jeans are hanging off one of her ankles along with her panties, her top is pushed up to her shoulders and her bra is definitely not doing its job, somewhat pushed above her breasts and off to the side. The warmth on her stomach is Santana, whose cheek is resting against it and her lips are parted so that little puffs of air hit the dancer's skin. She grins, runs her fingers through Santana's untamed dark locks and clears her throat before speaking.

"Santana." Brittany says, her voice cracks and sounds a bit scratchy. She moves her fingers to her girlfriend's arm, tickling lightly up and down and squeezes her bicep. "Santana." She calls her name a little louder and shakes her shoulders.

"Hmm, what?" Santana responds after a few moments, adjusting herself against Brittany's body. There's another couple of bangs on the door and both girls look over, look at each other and begin to laugh.

"You're gonna miss your flight!" Quinn shouts through the door when she hears the laughter and she rolls her eyes even though neither girl can see her. "I'll be waiting in the living room to say goodbye."

It takes them only a few minutes to get decent once again and they smile coyly at one another as they walk around their bedroom fixing jeans, hair, shirts and putting on shoes once more. Brittany opens the door for her girlfriend, slapping her ass lightly as she walks by her and giggles when Santana blushes. They find Quinn sitting on the couch flipping through the channels aimlessly and she turns to spot them walking behind the couch.

"Finally." She sighs in faux annoyance, a tiny smirk playing on her lips and she eyes her friends conspicuously. With an eyebrow arched up her nose crinkles and she takes in quick little puffs of air through her nose. "You guys smell like sex and… something… sweet?" Santana chuckles, Brittany elbows her side and Quinn shakes her head.

"Pussy and pancakes, breakfast of champions." Santana announces to the room, rubbing her stomach like she'd just ate Thanksgiving dinner and Brittany, as she turns beat red slaps her girlfriend's arm and Quinn scrunches her nose.

"You are kind of foul." Quinn points out and flips her hair waving Santana off quickly. "So you all ready?" She asks Brittany who has since moved away from Santana's side and is putting on her girlfriend's Cheerio's jacket.

"I think so." She replies, glancing over at the Latina who is biting her lip anxiously.

"You know how to get there right?" The blonde asks the shorter girl who nods while scuffing her sneaker against their worn out wood floor. "Okay then, come give me a hug." She turns herself around on the couch and opens her arms to Brittany who is never one to turn down a hug and she launches herself into Quinn. "I'm gonna miss you while you're gone." She mumbles against the dancer's neck.

"Me too." Brittany tells her and holds her friend a bit tighter. "But I'll call you on Christmas." She says as she pulls back and smiles one of her mega watt smiles which Quinn returns just the same.

"Ready babe?" Santana asks, twirling her keys in her finger and picking up one of Brittany's bags.

"Let's roll." The blonde salutes her girlfriend who shakes her head and chuckles before waving to Quinn telling her she'll be back in a bit.

The ride to the airport is anything but silent. The girls reminisce about their past Christmases and how they will Skype or something while they are separated for the holiday. Brittany reminds her girlfriend that they have New Years to look forward to and that definitely puts a smile on the Latina's face. Santana parks and helps the blonde with her bags, leading her all the way towards security until she can't go further.

"I love you sweetie." Santana whispers into her ear as she holds her close, her fingers playing with the tiny hairs at her neck. Brittany sighs and holds her tighter and nods. "Have a great time with your family." She turns her head and kisses Brittany on the cheek.

"I love you too." The blonde says as she pulls away from the embrace but keeps her hands on Santana's waist and they grin at one another. "We'll do our Christmas when I get back right?" She tilts her head to the side and bites on her lower lip and watches as that cute smirk comes to the Latina's lips and she nods.

"Yes, just you and me and our cute Barbie Christmas tree." Santana winks which gets a giggle from Brittany and they lean in one last time for a kiss. "Call me when you land." She tells her as she takes a step away seeing as Brittany really needs to go through security like five minutes ago.

"As soon as I land." The blonde nods and she brings Santana's hands up to her face and kisses the backs of them before letting them go and watching her walk away. Before she can get too far Brittany calls her name, "Santana!" The Latina immediately stops walking and turns around and Brittany mouths 'I love you'.

Santana smiles so hard her cheeks feel like they may fall off and then she mouths, 'I love you'.


	20. Chapter 20

**_happy unicorn day! haha. i personally loved tonights episode. but i'll bore you with my thoughts on it on my tumblr:)_**

**_just a little FYI about this chapter is that, i want you to kind of think about it as a two parter if you will. truth be told, i had planned on it ending differently, but it was literally like a novel and so decided to cut it into two. hopefully, you are okay with this because, it's fun to leave a little to the imagination for a bit:)_**

**_so, read and if you want review and let me know what you think so far or about this chapter or if you've now realized that your favorite treat ever is actually unicorn poop._**

* * *

><p>Santana's feet shuffle down the hall of their very quiet apartment. It's around noon but she's just now decided to finally get her ass out of bed because she's got work at 4:00pm and she doesn't want to be over tired from too much sleep. She rolls her eyes at herself because truth is, she wasn't even sleeping for the past two hours she was lying in bed, too busy tossing and turning her body over the entire bed because she couldn't get comfortable.<p>

Sleeping itself sucked too. She woke up well over five times, once to go to the bathroom, once to get a bottle of water and three times to watch reruns of That 70's show. Her bedroom was too quiet and normally the sound of Brittany's even breathing sends her right back to dream land or the simple feel of her skin or body close to Santana's. It's already been five days since her girlfriend left for Christmas break and it's been five long and torturous days that Santana wishes would speed up and come to its full eight days.

Her hairs a mess, the ponytail she's thrown it up in doing nothing to help the birds nest it formed into from lying in bed for so long. Her sweat pants, well, Brittany's sweat pants, are a little too big around her waist, falling just slightly but she doesn't really give a crap about that. Of the fact that she has one of the pant legs pulled up to her knee and she is currently sporting one sock. For some reason or another, her tank top grew two sizes since last night and is loose around her stomach but whatever, the only other person who will see her like this is Quinn and she's not even home.

She opens the fridge, eyes scan over the shelves passed the juice and milk taking space up on the top one and down to the bottom where she spots a box of devil dogs. With a slight smirk and a quirked eyebrow, she bends down and reaches her hand down and into the box retrieving one of those plastic packages that is keeping the delicious treat fresh.

"Hello chocolate." She greets the pastry in her hands, eyeing up all it's so bad for you goodness and with her hip, shuts the refrigerator door.

She shakes her head at herself and chuckles, Brittany is _so_ rubbing off and her. In fact, there are so many things she finds herself saying and doing since being alone that she notices are traits of her blonde girlfriend. Her lips twist in thought as she watches her fingers pull at the sides of the package finally releasing her afternoon snack and walks into the living room. Taking a bite out of the devil dog, she pushes herself back up from the couch where she is in mid sitting position and hustles to her bedroom to grab her phone.

Just as she hoped, and suspected, there are two text messages from the blonde herself. With a grin and some chocolaty goodness stuffed in her cheek she opens the first message. It's a picture of Brittany, smiling at the camera with one of those goofy holiday hats the Pierce's always have lying around the house at this time of year. She giggles because face it, her girlfriend is the cutest fucking thing to ever walk the planet, she just wishes she was there instead of here. The second message is in text and her eyes scan over the length of it before she brings her eyes up to the top to read it from the beginning.

_**Morning baby! I miss u so much n I kno we were on the phone just a few hours ago but I wish u were here. I went 2 the mall w my sister yest to take the kids to c Santa. Yes, I sat on his lap… no he didn't touch me;) I asked him 4 u. I kno u cant come here cuz of stupid work but… I wanted u 2 kno Im thinkin about u, everyday. I cant wait 2 come home so we can get our cuddles on;) call me b4 work. I love u.**_

Santana sighs, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips and she tilts her head as she reads over the text message again. Sure, she'd give anything to be able to take the next flight out of New York and into Ohio but, it's just not going to happen. The worst thing she could possibly do is quit her job, especially since in only a few months she and Brittany are going to be packing up their stuff and shacking up at some new, much quieter and only them apartment. So cash flow is a must.

But, if she didn't have her stupid job, there's no doubt in her mind where she would be right this second. The thought of being in Brittany's arms, probably naked, makes her cheeks grow hot and she pushes her thighs together because now is so not the time to get all hot and bothered. Not thinking about sex has been rather difficult, especially when she is on the phone with Brittany and her girlfriend whispers sweet nothings and dirty something's into the phone. The thought itself sends shivers down her body.

Totally over her need for chocolate, she tosses her half eaten devil dog onto the coffee table in front of her and reaches for the remote. Television sucks this time of year, more so for those who are far from their loved ones, sitting all alone on a couch with only the sound of a dripping faucet to keep them company. She contemplates settling on _A Christmas Story_ but shrugs it off, it's not the same if she's not watching it with Brittany. Hell, she'd even settle with watching it with Quinn. The city has done wonders for the other blonde in her life, her snark is snarkier and she curses a whole lot more. She grins at that because a cursing Quinn is her type of Quinn.

* * *

><p>Brittany is sitting on the sofa in her parent's living room, one foot tucked under her and the other resting on top of the coffee table. She aimlessly flicks through the channels, coming up empty on what to watch because everything on only reminds her of the fact that her girlfriend is in New York, in their apartment, alone. Sure, she has Quinn but, it's not the same and she is pretty sure that they only work the same hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays which means today Santana has work at 4:00pm.<p>

The sound of her little sister in the kitchen catches her attention but she is quick to tune it out when she stumbles on _A Christmas Story_. She pouts, this reminds her of Santana a lot. They used to watch this movie all the time, every year around Christmas. Mostly because it played nonstop and because Santana would always impersonate all the characters during the commercial break. She chuckles because she knew the Latina only did that to make her laugh and smile.

"Sweetie, did you want to come to the store with us?" Mrs. Pierce asks as she enters the room, going straight for her coat hanging up by the front door.

Brittany turns around in her spot and twists her lips, definitely contemplating the idea but settling for a shake of the head and a 'no thanks mom'. Mrs. Pierce slows her motions down and sends her daughter a small smile.

"Brittany, now don't you be all mopey. Nana's coming over later." She reminds the young blonde who smiles a bit at the sound of her Nana coming to visit. "How's Santana?" The older woman tentatively asks. Brittany shrugs her shoulders and drops the remote to grab her cell phone and stares at it.

"She's fine. Just working." Brittany tells her mother, even though they both know that Mrs. Pierce is privy to this information.

"Well, tell her I said 'hello' when you talk to her later." Mrs. Pierce offers her daughter a final smile before moving her stare from Brittany and onto her husband who is heading for the door.

"Be back in a little bit Britt." He winks before walking out the door with his wife and youngest daughter close behind him.

Brittany sighs, turns her head back towards the television letting her phone fall to her lap and picks the remote back up. Maybe she'd settle for whatever marathon is playing on MTV instead of all of these Christmas shows.

* * *

><p>"You know, it's not very New York of you to be spending the holiday in small town Lima." Kurt says before bringing his latte up to his lips for a quick sip. Rachel sends him a tight lip smile and playfully rolls her eyes.<p>

"But then I would not have had the chance to come and play dress up with _you_ Kurt." She reminds him, he feigns surprise at himself as if thinking 'how could I forget'. They chuckle at the simplicity of their humor. "Have you gone to see Brittany yet?" The diva asks, quickly making a right turn into one of their favorite stores.

"I went by there yesterday, stayed for dinner." He informs her, she nods her head and they go about browsing through the racks of never ending clothes. "Are you sad they are moving out at the end of the school year?" He inquires, his fingers scanning over brightly colored shirts, eyeing them up before finally pulling one out. Rachel pushes her bottom lip out and furrows her brow, as though thinking deeply before shaking her head and glancing up at Kurt.

"I think it's a rather fantastic idea." She admits with a little too much enthusiasm which garners a suspicious look from her fashion partner in crime. Kurt lifts his head a bit and scrunches his nose as he sniffs the air.

"I smell a plan or an idea of sorts Rachel Berry." He raises an eyebrow at her and she can't fight her smile any longer.

"Well, Kurt, if you must know of my thought process as of late, considering that Santana and Brittany decided on their move before even telling us." She takes a deep breath and moves from the rack to stand in front of him. "Taking into account that them leaving would leave me with…" Kurt clears his throat. "Ahem, Quinn and I with a much bigger closet and space for me to practice scenes and things of the dramatic nature. _Quinn_ and I had actually come up with a grander plan and, it involves none other than Kurt Hummel." She claps at herself and her well thought out speech, which she feels came out flawless minus the tiny hiccup where Kurt interrupted her. He raises both eyebrows and his mouth hangs open in confusion. "What do ya say Kurt? New York or bust?"

* * *

><p>"Miss?" The old woman at 23 calls out. Quinn turns her head in her direction, blows some hair out of her face and slaps a smile on.<p>

"Yes?" She replies in the kindest voice she can muster after being here for nearly four hours already. The old woman brings her hands around her coffee cup, stares at it for a bit and then looks up to Quinn who is shifting from foot to foot impatiently.

"My coffee is _ice_ cold." The woman explains, a not very happy line creasing at her brow.

Now in the back of Quinn's mind she is screaming, seething even. This woman has been sitting here with the same cup of coffee for over an hour and a half, hasn't even touched it. _Of course it's cold_! But instead of being honest and informing her guest of her neglectful ways, Quinn clears her throat, tilts her head and smiles sweetly at the old woman as she leans down to remove the mug.

"I'm s_o_ sorry about that." She lies. "I'll make a fresh pot for you." She lies again because they don't have pots of coffee. It's made in one of those ginormous metal containers that catering halls have or people who throw massive but inexpensive parties for their families in their backyard.

"Oh thank you sweetheart." The old woman smiles, reaches out to gently pat Quinn's hand and nods.

"Of course." Quinn nods in return before quickly turning around and stalking her way back to the kitchen.

She grunts in displeasure as soon as she is behind the two swinging metal doors. Tossing the woman's stupid mug into the dish bin she hauls ass over to the coffee machine to see that, yes, she does have to make a fresh batch of decaf coffee because everyone here is lazy and doesn't know how to press a freaking button.

Her order for table 24 is up so she grabs that and tells the woman at 23 that they are brewing that fresh pot and it should be out shortly. The woman nods again, smiling from ear to ear and Quinn wonders if the old man sitting with her is going to tell her that her magenta colored lipstick is all over her teeth. Whatever, not her problem.

Table 24 seems happy with their food and after she drops off a steak knife for the gentleman in the suit she realizes she has two minutes for a breather. She tells Tony, one of the managers in charge today that she's going out for a smoke. She doesn't really smoke, but it's the only for her to get a couple of minutes to herself.

It reeks of cigarettes and she scrunches her nose at the stench of smoke and trash. It makes her wonder why her and Santana even get cigarettes when they have their 'alone' time. This only makes her think if they are going to get a pack of cigarettes for tonight when they go out.

They'd made a deal that since they both only had work tomorrow's day shift that they would go out tonight, to prepare themselves for tomorrow night. Day shifts are never difficult to work when hung over and they both agreed that Christmas day would most likely be as slow as shit. Besides, their girlfriend's are gone and they can't just sit around like zombies all day long until they have to go to work. Quinn chuckles because she knows that Santana is doing exactly what she did yesterday, sit in front of the television and think about her girlfriend.

* * *

><p>"I wish you were here too." Santana says into the phone, so softly and gentle it surprises her that Brittany even hears her. But when she hears the faint, 'mhmm', she smiles a bit because even just sounds from the blonde gives her butterflies.<p>

"Are you and Quinn going to Mick's tonight?" Brittany asks curiously and Santana tilts her head from side to side, well, as much as she can considering she is sitting upside down on the couch with her head pretty much hanging off of the cushion and her feet over the back.

"I'm not too sure." She shrugs and lifts her free hand up to her face to inspect her cuticles. "I don't know when I'm getting out of work, or how I'll feel." She explains her uncertainty for her plans with Quinn later in the night. "Who knows, we may just sit around here and watch movies or some shit." Santana tells her because at this moment she can totally see that happening.

"You guys should go out and do something." Brittany says happily causing her girlfriend to smirk.

"Oh yeah?" She playfully responds.

"Yeah, I don't want you guys sitting around staring at each other. And even though you're both, like, super crazy pretty, it would get really boring." Brittany clarifies her reasons as to why the two friends should go out on the town. Her enthusiasm makes Santana chuckles, her head shake from side to side and she kicks her feet around a bit. "Just don't look at anyone's butt, touch anyone's butt… or boobs and we're good." She finishes and Santana can just picture her nod at the end of her sentence. She grins wildly as she shifts around on her back, letting her legs hang over the back of the couch more comfortably.

"I only want your butt and boobs babe." Santana breathes into the phone, rolling her eyes at herself because she forgot she is home alone.

"Oh, Santana, Nana just got here." Brittany exclaims and the Latina can hear the excitement in her girlfriend's voice at the arrival of her grandmother.

"Tell her I say 'hi'."

"I love you hun." The blonde says sweetly into the receiver and waits patiently for Santana's reply.

"I love you." Santana smiles as she speaks. "I'll call you after work."

They say their goodbyes and Santana suddenly finds herself bored once again as well as extremely lonely. She glances at the clock on the cable box only to find that she cannot read it upside down so she lifts her phone to her eyes and sees that she still has another hour until she has to get ready. Tossing her phone to the side she reaches above her head onto the coffee table where she had placed a nail file just before her phone call with Brittany.

* * *

><p>"Oh my God." Kurt mumbles, his eyes wide in shock and his mouth opening and closing in sheer excitement and reality because, how the hell is he going to afford New York.<p>

"I believe this is a turning point in your life Kurt. We can walk among the stars of New York City and go to see shows and live our dreams trying to make it on Broadway. Try being the operative word." She says the last part quietly but keeps her smile plastered on her face. "We'll have an extra room, perfect for another roommate. Also, this will not in any way deter you from your current higher learning experience. You can finish out your first year in Lima and move to New York for the summer and if you like, which I have no doubt in my mind that you will not only find it exhilarating but, absolutely perfect for your fashionable eye and flashy ways, you stay." Rachel claps again, finding her plan not only extraordinary but flawless as well.

Kurt stands still for a while longer, his lack of movement and frozen facial expression a little uneasy for the tiny diva, so she moves around him towards another rack of clothes. Her words sink into him like the way Titanic sunk hard but slow into the ocean. This is his moment, his chance, his lifetime opportunity to do what he has always dreamed of; get out of Lima. The fact that it's New York is merely a bonus and all he sees is flashing lights, glitter and sequins.

"I've taken the liberty to discuss this with your father and he thinks that this is a wonderful idea and great for your future." Rachel adds as an afterthought, her eyes never leaving the slew of clothing she is going through at a rapid pace.

* * *

><p>Quinn trudges up the hall that leads to their apartment. She turns her nose at the smell seeping from her jacket, pores and hair. The shower is so desperately calling her and if she weren't so exhausted she'd run into the apartment. When she pushes the door open she finds the television on and two feet hanging off of the back of the couch. With a quirked eyebrow she tosses her keys on the table, takes her coat off and hangs it on the rack and moves slowly around to the front of the couch.<p>

"What are you doing?" She asks curiously. Santana is lying upside down on the couch, her hair cascading towards the ground, eyes on the television as she files her nails.

"Playing soccer." Santana says flatly, not taking her eyes off of the screen or stopping with the filing of her nails.

"Cute." Quinn rolls her eyes, chuckles and shakes her head. She takes the hair tie out of her blonde locks, releasing the tight ponytail it's been trapped in for about five hours.

"How was work?" Santana asks, watching the top of a blonde head move around to the back of the couch.

"Stupid." The blonde says before opening the refrigerator.

"Word." The Latina grunts and hums in agreement. Work is stupid, always.

"You wanna get forties tonight?" Quinn asks, her head popping up over the refrigerator door finding Santana's eyes looking back at her from her upside down position. The shorter girl contemplates the suggestion, pushing her bottom lip out in thought and then shrugs with a nod.

"Okay."

"Beautiful." Quinn cheers with a tired enthusiasm and lets the refrigerator door shut as she shuffles down the hallway towards the bathroom. "You should start getting ready for work." She calls out just before she closes the bathroom door behind her.

"Don't take too long in the shower bitch!" Santana yells, lifting her head slightly from the couch and eyeing the top of the hallway. "I gotta get ready for work!"

* * *

><p>The doorbell to the Pierce residence rings and little Jaime Pierce rushes by her Nana and other old relatives towards the front door and yanks it open. There she finds a very happy looking Rachel Berry, holding a bowl of some sort of treat in her hands. Jaime eyes her up curiously before shrugging her shoulders and yelling out for her sister.<p>

"Britt, your weird friend that sings about everything is here!" Jaime calls out and she turns to the diva who is now sporting a perplexed look on her face. "Come in." The little girl tugs on the sleeve of her coat, making the brunette come inside by sheer force.

"Thank you." Rachel politely says to the tiny blonde.

"Rachel!" Brittany cheers as she comes bounding towards the shorter girl. "I'm so glad you came." She pulls her into an awkward hug considering Rachel is still clutching on to her Tupperware bowl.

"Thank you so much for inviting me Britt." The diva smiles back at her friend and hands her the bowl she carried over. "I made some dirt dessert. I remember hearing Santana say something about you loving it." She motions towards the bowl and watches as the blonde's eyes go wide and pull the dish closer to her chest.

"Thanks Rach." They stand there in silence for a bit, because Jaime has decided to start play wrestle with Brody and they knock off a vase from a shelf. "Oh boy." Brittany chuckles, shaking her head at her friend who giggles at the sight as well. "Here, put your coat over here." She points towards the hooks on the closet door and Rachel does as she is instructed.

"How's Santana doing?" The diva inquires as she follows Brittany into the kitchen where the rest of the Pierce's are.

"She's good. Working tonight though." Brittany tells her and she shrugs her shoulders. "I think her and Quinn are planning on going out tonight."

"Yeah, Quinn said something about that during our last phone conversation." Rachel sighs, missing her girlfriend just as dearly as Brittany is missing her own.

"I wish I could leave after tomorrow." Brittany admits to her friend in a hushed voice just before they enter the kitchen. "I mean, all we do is open presents and eat food." She explains with a roll of the eyes. "And I only wanna open and eat…" Rachel claps her hands before Brittany can finish her sentence causing the blonde's head to jerk back.

"Best to keep that stuff between you and Santana." She winks with a playful grin and Brittany nods in agreement. She really doesn't need her whole family knowing that she'd rather be eating her girlfriend out on Christmas morning than her Nana's casserole.

* * *

><p>Five hours goes by fast when it's busy as fuck. Unfortunately this is not the case for Santana. The walk home is horrible because tonight's shift actually bordered on disgusting. So much for being available for holidays because work was God awful tonight so much so that she actually considered going out to the streets and bribing people with sexual favors to come in to the restaurant. Well, maybe she wouldn't go that far but, it was that dead.<p>

She stops by the tiny convenience store by them because the guy in their totally sells her booze and cigarettes and she buys three 40oz, one for her, one for Quinn and one to share. The cigarettes, as always, are because they are badasses and Santana needs to be a bad influence on at least one person. At least it's not snowing, that's the only plus to this scenario.

There's a buzzing in her pocket and with her free hand she reaches in for her phone to see she has a text message from Quinn. The blonde is just letting her know that she ordered pizza, half bacon and half mushrooms for them and to hurry it along with the alcohol. She turns down their block and before putting her phone back in her pocket she decides that she might as well call her girlfriend like she promised she would.

_**b-'Hi Brittany this is Brittany call me back…'**_

_**s-'B you're not leaving a message you're making a message.'**_

_**b-'But I thought you left a message after the beep.'**_

She sighs through a smirk when she gets her girlfriend's voicemail and instead of leaving her a message there she ends the call and types her out a quick text. When she's done typing with one thumb, she realizes she's reached their apartment building and she jostles the bag of goods in her arms to yank the door open.

The smell of fresh pizza having just been delivered fills her senses and she almost drops the beers to the ground. Her legs drag her into the kitchen and she takes a bigger whiff, letting the smile of happiness fill her up. Quinn tells her to take a quick shower and she'll set them up in front of the television with their food and drinks. Maybe it's not the classiest, or the best way to spend Christmas Eve but neither can complain because they have each other.

* * *

><p>"So Rachel, how are you liking New York so far?" Mr. Pierce asks as she grabs the bowl of mashed potatoes being handed to him. All Pierce eyes turn towards her, except for Nana of course, she's too busy eyeing the bottle of wine on the other end of the table trying to use her mind to move it closer to her.<p>

"Well," She beings and wipes the corners of her mouth ever so politely. "I am enjoying it very much so. The city is just as I had always imagined it to be. Free, exciting and it really is one of the most beautiful places in the nation." She smiles at the simple thought of her times spent walking along the sidewalks going to school and hand in hand with Quinn around Central Park.

"That's just lovely dear." Mrs. Pierce chimes in, handing the biscuits over to Brittany's aunt when asked. "Brittany had told me that Quinn is now living with you?" It comes out as a question which Brittany finds odd, only because she had told her mother. But, regardless, it's unimportant and she continues to work on her food.

"Yes, she… as you know she had a bit of a falling out with her mother and, well, _we_," She motions between her and Brittany and is clearly speaking for Santana as well. "Decided it'd be best for her to live with us." Brittany's mother nods and takes a bite from her fork telling her sister that her yams are delicious.

"It must be cramped there." Laurie, Brittany's older sister comments as she tries to get her son to stop playing with his food and eat it. Brittany shakes her head and swallows her food before she eats it.

"It's really not. We all get along." She shrugs her shoulders and glances over at Rachel who gives her a strange look. "Well, for the most part." They chuckle between them and the rest of the Pierce's politely smile at their obvious inside joke.

"Besides," Rachel speaks up, catching Laurie's attention once more and she smiles. "By May, it'll be pretty spacious and it'll only be three of us there." She explains and goes right back to eating her salad because unfortunately Mrs. Pierce had forgotten about Rachel being vegan.

"Oh, is Quinn moving back in May?" Mr. Pierce asks as he cuts into his turkey, eyes focused on the task at hand. Rachel looks up from her salad, glances at the older man and then shoots her eyes beside her where Brittany is. The blonde's head is lowered and her eyes are to the side looking back at Rachel.

"Uh, I…" For once in her life, Rachel Berry is at a loss for words. She can't read Brittany's thoughts or the way she is looking at her so she shakes her head, sits up straighter and giggles to clear her throat. "No, umm, Santana and Brittany are moving out." Her eyes go from Brittany to Mr. Pierce who has stopped cutting his meat and is now looking over at his daughter with a curious eyebrow raised.

"Are you coming back home sweetie?" Mrs. Pierce asks, her voice hopeful and her smile just the same. Brittany clears her throat and shakes her head, slowly lifting it up to send her mother a sweet smile.

"No, actually, Santana and I found an apartment." She explains to her parents, trying to give both of them equal amount of attention. "When the second semester is over, we're moving in." Her grin widens because it's actually kind of exciting to talk about and when she turns to Rachel its clear her friend feels the same way.

"But what about… so you're not coming home for the summer?" Laurie asks, her head tilting to the side in confusion at her sisters announcement. Brittany shakes her head at her sister.

"You can totally come visit." Brittany assures her sister with that innocent smile of hers. "We have a guest room and it would be so awesome for you to come and see us. Santana would love it."

"What about rent? I mean, surely it's a bit more expensive split between two people than it is three or four." Mr. Pierce points out and moves back to his plate where he had almost forgotten about his food. Brittany shakes her head again and takes a sip of water.

"Santana like, works with the girl who is giving it to us. She said we can afford it." The blonde explains simply.

"Oh." Mrs. Pierce says, lifts her wine glass in both hands as she rests her elbows on the table and glances at her husband sitting across the long table. "Well, then…" She shrugs her shoulders and smirks. "Maybe your father and I can arrange to come visit sometime during the end of spring." Mr. Pierce nods, agreeing with his wife's idea and making their daughter smile brightly.

The family continues on eating and talking, Rachel is thankful that she did not just start a world war at the Pierce's, Santana would not be too happy to find out that she had gotten Brittany in trouble because of her big mouth. But, in her defense which she will refer to at a later date, she had no idea that it this move for the couple was 'hush hush'.

* * *

><p>"Brittany I am so sorry." Rachel whispers to the blonde as she puts her coat on. Brittany grins and shakes her head as she stands in front of the brunette. "I had <em>no<em> idea that you hadn't told your parents about you and Santana getting your own place." She lifts her hands to under her hair and flips it out from the inside of her jacket letting it fall to her back.

"Don't worry about it." She says softly and glances over her shoulder to see her mother helping her Nana down the hall to the den where she is staying. "I was gonna tell them tonight anyway, you just helped me out." She tells the diva who lets out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness, I was almost afraid to go back home and face the wrath of Santana." Brittany giggles and crinkles her nose because she knows that even though Santana may have yelled and stomped around she would never physically harm Rachel, well, she doesn't think so anyway.

"When is your flight?" She asks, tilting her head to the side as they walk closer to the front door.

"Saturday." Rachel tells her. "You?" Brittany bites her lip because if she had it her way she would be on the first flight after their opened their gifts tomorrow.

"Friday." She replies, kicking her foot into the carpeting by the door.

"We'll probably talk before either of us leaves. Maybe we can go do something with Kurt." Rachel suggests to which Brittany nods her head in agreement. As long as she is in Lima she may as well make the most of it and hang out with one of her good friends. "Thank your parents again for inviting me. Dinner was fantastic."

"Thanks for making that dirt dessert." The blonde grins widely and holds the door open for the brunette as she leaves.

"Merry Christmas Brittany." Rachel calls out before she gets into her car and drives away.

Brittany slowly closes the door, locks it up and shuts the light off to the porch. When she turns around she finds her parents standing in the kitchen talking to her sister with a very passed out Brady in her arms. She makes her way into the kitchen, scanning the room and how clean it already is considering it looked like a train wreck only hours earlier.

"Are you staying over?" Brittany asks Laurie curiously as she brushes some of Brady's blonde hair from his face. Her older sister smiles at her actions and nods.

"I think I'm going to go put this one down and then call it a night." Laurie announces quietly which is followed by a yawn. She says goodnight to her parents and her sister, giving each one a kiss on the cheek before vanishing behind the basement door where her husband has apparently already gone.

"So, you and Santana living alone." Mrs. Pierce breaks the sudden silence catching her daughter's attention instantly. The younger blonde blushes, smirks and nods all at once and her mother chuckles.

"Had we known _that_ we may have not gotten you _this_." Mr. Pierce says in a playfully stern voice and he stretches his arm out, a white envelope in his hand. Brittany quirks an eyebrow and slowly reaches out for it.

"But, we clearly are not about to take it back so, Merry Christmas dear." Mrs. Pierce leans in and kisses her daughter on the cheek as the younger girl stares blankly at the envelope.

"Well, open it. The suspense is killing me." Her father points at the paper in her hands and they all laugh at his antics.

Carefully Brittany slips her fingers into the open flap of the envelope and pulls out what's inside. She stares at it for a few moments, reading it over and over not sure she is seeing it correctly. Her jaw drops slightly and her brow furrows. She looks up at her parents with uncertainty but their smiles haven't wavered a bit.

"We thought long and hard on what you'd want as your 'big' gift this year and, well, we both agreed that it would be this." Mrs. Pierce explains proudly, leaning into her husband who puts his arm around his wife lovingly.

"Seriously?" Brittany breathes out, still not quite believing her eyes.

"We can always return it if you don't like it." Mr. Pierce tells her, ready to reach out and take it but Brittany brings it closer to her instead.

"No." She quickly blurts out. "I… thank you." She throws herself into her parent's arms, kisses their cheeks and squeezes them tightly.

"Oh and one other thing, though, this is not really a Christmas present really." Mr. Pierce clears his throat and glances at his wife who nods. "We've also decided that, we are going to help you and Santana out for the time being." Brittany feels like she is going to be dizzy because she keeps going back forth between looking at her mother and then to her father just waiting for the 'just kidding' to come out of their mouths.

"Obviously, after dinner we figured that, since you are going to be getting your own place you need to save up and, it's not right for Santana to be working her little butt off for it." Mrs. Pierce explains, reaching out to squeeze her daughter's hand. "And you'll be finishing your first year and won't have time for a job. So, until May we are going to pay your rent." Brittany's eyebrows shoot straight up to her hair line and she once again launches herself into her parents.

"I love you guys so much." She mumbles into her mother's hair and her father's shoulder. "You guys are the awesomest!"

* * *

><p>"Did you know that," Santana hiccups and tosses a bottle cap across the living room to where Quinn is sitting with her back up against the door. "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings?" She quirks an eyebrow as she lifts the bottle to her lips, taking a sip but makes sure to keep an eye on the blonde in front of her.<p>

Quinn tilts her head, looks down at her beer and squints her eyes. Her lips twist in thought as she reaches down for the bottle and takes a swig.

"_It's a Wonderful Life_!" She shouts with excitement. Santana groans and tosses her head back in defeat. "You suck at this game. That was totally easy." Quinn waves her off and takes another sip from her beer bottle.

"No, I don't suck. We've just been playing this stupid made up game for like, three hours." Santana reminds her with annoyance and glances at the clock to see the time. "Oh, Merry Christmas fucker." She sends Quinn a phony smile and flips her the bird causing them both to break out into hysterics.

"You too douche bag." The blonde gives her the finger in return making them laugh harder.

When the laughter subsides silence takes them over and they sit there, with their backs against separate walls, staring at their feet and their 40oz beers that are almost finished. Quinn sighs as she takes one final sip which turns into a chug and lets the glass hit the ground hard as she sets it down. Santana takes note that her friend has finished her beer and does the same but has to chug for a bit longer.

"This blows." Quinn mutters.

"I know, we are like, horrible, gross, drunk messes who miss their girlfriend's." Santana comments in utter agreement and then lets out a loud belch.

"When's Britt coming back?" The blonde asks, pushing herself up from the wall and she stumbles a bit before making her way towards the refrigerator where their last beer is being held captive.

"Friday." Santana hums out, following her friend's lead once again and needing to grab onto the counter to aid her into a standing position. "Whew, that was hard." She says under her breath. "Berry?"

"Saturday." Quinn replies sadly.

Again the quiet comes over them and they find themselves sitting on the couch in front of the television which is on mute and they rest their feet on the table. They pass the bottle back and forth, taking tiny sips here and there with no words except the ones in their heads. The sound of a phone vibrating catches their attention and Quinn realizes it's hers and she leans forward to grab it.

"It's a text from Rachel." She squeals and quickly, even through her drunken state, pops open the message with ease. "She misses me and she says Merry Christmas." She smiles at the screen and strokes her fingers over the message her girlfriend sent her. "I miss you too. I love you like crazy. Kisses and shit." She says as she types out those exact words into her phone and hits send.

"You disgust me." Santana tells her which she receives a slap in the arm for almost instantly. Just as she is about to complain about domestic abuse her phone goes off and she jumps up to get it. "It's from Britts, 'I'm sorry I missed your call baby," She grins at the 'baby' part. "'Rachel came over for dinner tonight and we were hanging out. But, Merry Christmas! I can't wait to cuddle you up in my arms and kiss your face and everywhere else.'" She whispers the last part but since there's nothing but quiet and her voice, the blonde beside her hears the whole message being read and she snickers to herself. "Fuck off Fabray, not only is my response gonna be better than yours, it's gonna be way hotter."

She sits up, clears her throat and opens up a new message to reply to Brittany.

"Merry Christmas my sexy little Christmas elf." She says as she types it out, glaring at Quinn in the process. "I love you and when you get home I'm going to…" She stops talking out loud but continues to type, chuckling to herself as she does so because she can feel Quinn's eyes on her. After pressing send and setting her phone back onto the coffee table she finally looks over at the blonde. "I'm not letting you hear my macking skills so back up Q." She waves her friend off playfully and they sit there and nudge each other for a little while until the thrill of fake fighting loses its excitement.

They finally opt to turn the television on, ending up on a stupid Hallmark channel that is playing a Christmas movie, of course. When the first commercial break comes on they both let out a sigh and start passing the bottle back and forth.

"This Christmas is gonna suck balls." Quinn lets out, grabbing the bottle from Santana.

"Word. Serious reindeer balls."


	21. Chapter 21

_**hello:)**_

_**i present to you chapter21. enjoy and tell me what you think:)**_

* * *

><p>The apartment is quiet, as it usually is this early in the morning, light is streaming in from the window in the kitchen and the twinkling lights on the Barbie tree are still sparkling. The television is streaming the menu screen for <em>Jawbreaker<em> asking whether or not to start the movie judging from the blinking 'play' words in yellow. Santana is peacefully sleeping off copious amount of alcohol she and Quinn took part in the night prior. The assortment of bottles strewn across the couch makes it look as though they hosted a small get together, but not, it was just them. She's nestled comfortably underneath the coffee table with her and Brittany's blanket along with her girlfriend's stuffed elephant tucked under her arm.

She would have probably continued to be in the wonderful land of sleep and dreams of her blonde girlfriend if it were not for the other blonde she lives with.

Above her, in a similar state, is Quinn. Her pillow placed perfectly under her head with the throw blanket that normally covers the bed she shares with Rachel, tossed on her body that is currently sprawled out on the top of the coffee table. Her hazel eyes blink open, her vision foggy from the alcohol still coursing through her veins and the sleep her body seems to be fighting. She closes them again, tightly, trying to fight off the blinding light that is piercing her eyes and she groans out in pain because waking up so early after a late night of drinking hurts.

When she finally regains her power of sight, she yawns and glances at her fist that is in the front of her face. She loosens her fingers, spreads them out and curiously furrows her brow and jerks her head back. Hazel eyes widen, her body sitting up regardless of the achy feeling of sleeping on a wooden table would cause because there is no way this is what it is. She sits up completely and stares at her hand in horror.

"Ah!" Quinn screams at the top of her lungs.

Santana's eyes pop open and her body instinctively jumps up, her head immediately comes in contact with the underside of the coffee table forcing her back down to her pillow.

"Oh fucking, fuck, fuck!" Santana cries, her hands come up to cradle her now heavily pounding head. "Shit, fucking… what the fuck?" She yells, curling her fingers into her palm and slams her fist into the wood above her.

"Oh my God, oh my God." Quinn says over and over again as she runs her fingers through her hair in fright. "No, no, no." Tears form in her eyes and she sits Indian style on top of the table spotting locks of blonde hair on the floor. Santana crawls out from underneath the table and slowly moves her body up from the floor and stands to find out what is going on. Her eyes widen, her hand flies up to her mouth and she cannot at all stifle the laugh that pops from her lips.

"Holy shit." Santana mutters, her legs start moving and she's walking around her friend. "What happened?" She asks, while Quinn gathers the blonde hair around her together and places it in her lap.

"I don't know!" She shouts, her eyes glistening with tears. "Oh my God! What did I do?" Her gaze falls to her lap at all of her blonde hair that used to be connected to her head. Santana shakes her head from side to side, her hand finally falling down and she takes a seat on the couch.

"Oh." Santana lets out with a quirked eyebrow and nervousness laced in her voice as she leans over and lifts up a pair of scissors to show her friend. "Whoops." She laughs awkwardly, because the scissors were perfectly placed right beside Tuna, Brittany's stuffed elephant. For a moment she throws Tuna an inquisitive glare, Brittany's accused him of some questionable mischief before, but then she shakes her head realizing what she's thinking.

"I'm gonna kill you!" Quinn yells and lunges at Santana who drops the sheers to the ground with a thump and hops over the back of the couch.

"It wasn't me, it was Tuna!" The Latina hollers over her shoulder, a desperate attempt by a desperate woman in need of staying alive, at least until her girlfriend returns. "He thinks he's a hairdresser." She blurts out, because sometimes being obnoxiously sarcastic can confuse the hell out of Quinn and make her forget the havoc she is about to cause.

"Stop laughing." Quinn tells her sternly, her hands within reach of her friend but her fingers keep coming up short of yanking at her long dark hair. "I am going to shave your head in your sleep!" She threatens, the alcohol in her stomach making her body slow down to the point she has to lean against the wall and give up on her Santana chase.

Santana, who is also feeling the effects of their late night in, falls back first against the wall and slides down holding her hands up in surrender. She wraps her arms around her stomach and grumbles, her lower lip juts out in disapproval of the feelings in her tummy. Her head tilts to the side as she regards Quinn's current hair style, or whatever it's called, and shrugs her shoulders.

"I could fix it." Santana offers only to have to think fast and let her body fall to the ground when Quinn grabs something to throw at her. "Whoa, okay never mind." She chuckles, pushing herself back into a sitting position. "Well, I think this is a good thing. You need a change." She exclaims with certainty, hoping that if she puts a positive spin on this random hair cutting deal then the blonde will be less likely to try and kill her in her sleep. "I'm sure we can find _someone_ to fix that shit." Santana motions towards the uneven and choppy pieces of blonde hair framing Quinn's face. The taller girl squints at her friend, still sitting on the floor not doing a very good job at hiding her smirk of amusement. "Merry Christmas?"

* * *

><p>"Hey baby, Merry Christmas." Brittany says into the phone, her smile and mood extra chipper than either girl really expected.<p>

"Merry Christmas honey." Santana greets in return, elbowing Quinn in the arm each time the blonde walks into her. "Stop it Q!" The Latina hisses, doing her best to keep the mouth piece away from her as she scolds her friend. Brittany's airy giggle draws her back to the phone and she smiles once more.

"What are you guys doing up so early? I was banking on catching you yawning and hearing that cute sleepy voice." The blonde asks with a smirk, and she pulls her knees to her chest and picks at the fabric of her pajama pants as she listens to the background noises of the city. Santana chuckles throatily but suppresses it when she receives a cold stare from Quinn.

"Umm, Quinn had an accident." Santana starts, smirking as she speaks and avoids eye contact with the blonde walking beside her.

"Oh my God, is she okay?" Brittany sits up straighter in bed, nervously tugging at her pillowcase, the giggle her girlfriend breathes out does nothing to wean her worry.

"Yeah, she's fine, just a hair situation." She vaguely explains with a wave of her hand which gets slapped by Quinn.

"Hair situation?" The tall blonde questions in confusion.

"She kind of woke up with some of her hair chopped off." The Latina relays, eyeing Quinn's uneven mane from the corner of her eye that is peeking out from the wool hat she's using to cover the mess. "I found the scissors next to Tuna."

"Oh my God, Tuna cut Quinn's hair in her sleep?" Brittany gasps, her hand comes up to cover her mouth in shock. "I knew I shouldn't have gotten him that my size Barbie when we were nine." She shakes her head at herself in disappointment. Santana's head jerks back and she pulls the phone from her ear to give it a good stare.

"Uh, yeah." Santana shakes her head, smirking at her girlfriend's thought process and how she had the same one's this morning. "Anyway, I'm taking her to get it fixed up because we have work at ten." She explains further as to why they are up so early.

"Oh, well that's good at least." Brittany sighs in relief and leans back into her pillow propped against the headboard of her bed. "Wait, are places open on Christmas?" Santana shrugs because that part she hasn't thought through, figuring they can just roll up to some beauty place and fix her friend's maimed hair in the name of Christmas spirit.

"We're about to find out." The Latina mutters only meant for her and her girlfriend to hear and she rolls her eyes at the way Quinn is walking all mopey beside her. "Hey, so what was your big gift this year?" She changes the subject back to presents on Christmas morning which always brings a bright smile to Brittany's face and therefore her own. On the other end of the call, Brittany bites her lower lip and grins, glancing over on her nightstand where _the_ gift Santana is referring to sits perfectly beside her iPod.

"My parents actually gave it to me last night." The blonde says after spending a few seconds debating on how to answer the question. Santana's brow furrows and her head jerks back.

"What? Why? They always love making a big production out of presents, no matter what the holiday is." Santana points out wondering what it could be to make the Pierce's not follow tradition. Brittany giggles and stretches her legs across her bed and watches as her toes wiggle beneath her new Christmas socks.

"I know, but it's kind of for the both of us so…" She vaguely replies and Santana quirks an eyebrow in curiosity.

"It better not be something sexual because that would be extremely awkward." Santana tells her and this is when Quinn finally snaps out of her stupor and shoots a questioning stare at her friend. The Latina shrugs and waves her off to stop eavesdropping. "I mean, if it is though, it better be good." She adds as an afterthought getting a chuckle from the girl on the other side of the phone.

"It can be sexual, but, I don't think that's what they had in mind when they gave it to me." Brittany comments, her eyes flickering over to the gift and she smiles. "But I know you're gonna love it. I already do." She says in a whisper and turns onto her side to look out the window where some snow sits on the sill.

"Well, what is it?" The dark haired girl urges as she and Quinn stop at a corner and wait for lights to change before crossing the street.

"I'll tell you later." Santana smirks because she knows by the sound of Brittany's voice that the blonde is grinning slyly from ear to ear. So, she nods her head and grins into the phone and follows Quinn across the street when the lights finally change. "Go have fun with Quinn and make lots of money today."

"I will, well, I'll try." She playfully slaps Quinn's arm and receives an elbow to the side in return. "I love you."

"Love you too cutie." Brittany replies before hanging up and placing the phone beside her on the bed. She sighs out, letting her hand come over to the side of the bed that Santana always lays on and she closes her eyes.

With a deep breath in she lets it come out slowly through her nose and imagines that the bed is half empty because Santana is downstairs talking with her family while sitting by the tree. She can picture her mom and her girlfriend drinking coffee and talking about the gifts that they received and how much they love them. In her mind she can see Santana's dimples perfectly as she laughs because Jaime, Brittany's little sister, is wrapped up in all of the wrapping paper from the presents.

She smiles to herself, eyes still closed, and remembers how Santana used to always come over after presents at her own house to eat whatever breakfast was left over because her family was heathens. The way she used to ask Brittany to try on every article of clothing for her, calling it the Christmas fashion show and telling her what looked good and what to return for cash or store credit.

All of the presents she got Santana are back in New York, hidden underneath Rachel's bed because she knows that Santana will not step foot in that room, except if there's intruders which she made very clear to the brunette. She wonders how Santana will react to her gifts and if she will tell the blonde that she loves them like she does every year and actually every time Brittany gets her anything.

With a thought, one that was probably always there but only hit her right now, she sits up straight in her bed and turns her head towards the door. She wears a look of thought and bites on her lower lip as she goes over it in her mind, then, with a nod she swings her legs over the edge of the bed and slips her Uggs on. On her way to her bedroom door she grabs her winter coat that is hanging on the back of her desk chair and slips it on as she walks down the hallway.

Her family is still sitting in the living room, cleaning up some messes Jaime made as well as her nephew and sipping coffee like she suspected. Her mother looks up from her new cook books and smiles as her daughter descends the stairs. Laurie turns her head to find Brittany heading her way and quirks an eyebrow at how her sister is prepared to weather the Lima winter air outside with her jacket zipped up all the way and her shiny mittens.

"Is the mall open?"

* * *

><p>Quinn's leg is bouncing up and down as she flips furiously through Glamour magazine while Santana looks around the hair salon at its other occupants. She furrows her brow when she spots an uptown, diva, real housewife of New York spewing out a list of things she does not want done to her hair while the hair stylist walks slowly behind her.<p>

The Latina inwardly cringes because she never understands people like this high society bitch fest, she has the same problems at her job. '_I don't want this, this, this or that on my sandwich_'. Its like, '_well, do you want just bread and mayo because you just made your own goddamn sandwich'_. Usually she just stops people halfway through their tirade of things they don't want and asks them what they do want. She so desperately wants to hop up from her seat and intervene, but she is pretty sure that opening her mouth so early in the morning would only bring on a slew of expletives and therefore get them banned from yet another place.

So, instead, she sits back and glances to the right at the magazine Quinn is rushing through. The girl at the desk comes over to tell them that in a few minutes she'll send Quinn to go over to the shampoo station and that they can soon get started. The blonde sighs in relief because it's getting pretty hot in the shop and she so badly wants to get this hat off of her head. Santana rolls her eyes, they've all had bad hair cuts before, albeit not too many drunken night bad hair cuts but still. Their silence is interrupted at Quinn's cell phone ringing from her coat pocket and when she fishes it out she sees a picture of Rachel on the screen and she half smiles.

"Hey." She answers, her voice soft and she spares a glance in Santana's direction while she sits back, letting the magazine fall completely to her lap. "Thanks hun." Her face softens and she smiles a little wider but as soon it changes into sweet and in love it turns into horrified and bewildered. "What?" Quinn nearly shouts, garnering a few strange looks from the shops other customers. "Are you fu… are serious?" She rephrases her words, not wanting to sound like a complete street urchin in the high end beauty salon, because of course the most expensive would be the only one open. She side eyes Santana, squinting and her lips pursing into something that tells the Latina she sure has a few choice words for her right now. "Let me call you back." She nods, lowers the phone from her ear and ends the call, all the while keeping her gaze fixed on Santana.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Santana inquires, her tone shakes nervously but she keeps her cool regardless. Quinn slaps on one of those sickeningly sweet fake smiles, the ones she used to use in high school when she was plotting and she begins to go through something on her phone.

"Rachel just asked me what the hell I was thinking letting you cut my hair." She explains evenly and shuffles in her seat until her shoulders are brushing up against Santana's.

"What?" Santana tilts her head, her voice goes up an octave and her hands grip the arm rests of her chair.

"Apparently," She glares at her friend. "We thought it'd be a _swell_ idea to make a video last night." Quinn explains carefully as she places her phone in front of them and comes up to the video in question, on the screen is a close up of Santana's face. They both watch Quinn's thumb come up to the screen and press onto the big white sideways triangle to start the video.

"_What are you doing?" Quinn asks, taking a seat on the coffee table just behind Santana who is fiddling with the camera in her hand._

"_I'm trying to set this thing up against something so that I don't have to hold it. I mean, I can't cut your hair __**and**__ video this." Santana explains with a roll of her eyes. "This is going to be so much fun." She mumbles to herself._

"_What?" Quinn speaks up at her friend speaking but Santana only shakes her head, moves the camera a little more and then stands up and stares at it for a few seconds._

"_Okay, perfect." She claps and then walks off screen with Quinn watching her every move. The blonde slowly brings a bottle of tequila up to her lips and takes a big swig and then Santana is back on screen with a pair of large scissors in her hand._

"_Wait," Quinn sputters, lowering the bottle from her mouth. "Those aren't hair cutting scissors." She points at the sheers in Santana's hands with a questioning look on her face. Santana chuckles, shakes her head and places a friendly hand on the blonde's shoulder._

"_Q, scissors are scissors are scissors." She riddles and after a few moments Quinn shrugs her shoulders and places the bottle of alcohol between her thighs and sits up straighter. _

"_Okay." The blonde sighs and Santana takes that as her cue to move behind her friend, kneeling onto the coffee table and picks up a bunch of hair in her hand._

"_Are you ready?" Santana asks cautiously, a tiny smirk playing on her lips as she waits for the 'okay' from Quinn before she starts snipping._

"_Just do it already." Quinn demands getting a laugh from the girl behind her._

"_That's what she said." The two giggle for a few seconds until finally regaining composure and falling into a comfortable drunken silence._

The girls sit there, mouths hanging open and eyes wide as they continue to watch the two minute video of Santana cutting randomly through Quinn's beautifully blonde hair. In the video the Latina is just picking up chunks of hair and chopping it off without any sort of creative or styling purpose. The video ends with Santana rubbing her eyes and yawning followed by Quinn doing the same and suggesting they finish tomorrow and then another close up of Santana's face as she ends the recording.

"I am seriously going to kill you in your sleep." Quinn hisses through her teeth and Santana leans away from her, hands up in defense.

"Hey, I don't remember doing any of that… this." She flips some of the random hairs poking out from underneath the hat Quinn has on, only to get her hand swatted away. "And this is your fault anyway. Berry is right, why the hell _would_ you let me cut your hair?" Santana challenges, crosses her arms over her chest and sits further back in her chair.

"Quinn?" A voice from in front of them breaks the menacing stares they are shooting at each other. "If you follow Cindy over she'll shampoo you and then we can fix you up." The girl smiles kindly and motions towards another girl standing beside her.

* * *

><p>"I thought you already got her presents." Laurie muses as she follows her sister up to the doors of the mall. It would figure that small town Lima <em>would<em> have the mall open on a holiday, but, she figures that those who don't celebrate Christmas need something to do. Brittany hums a response as she pulls the glass door open and ushers her sister inside, instantly feeling the warmth pouring out from the building. "So, then why the rush to come here and pick something up?" Her sister asks and she turns her head to give Brittany a questioning stare.

"Because." The younger blonde says, grabs the sleeve of her sister's coat and tugs her in another direction. When Laurie doesn't get another word from Brittany she rolls her eyes and sighs out a tiny laugh.

"Oh, well okay then." Laurie mutters and simply follows her younger sister towards the row of stores with glass fronts. "Wait," She stops walking, which causes Brittany to come to a halt as well. "Britt, what are you looking for?" Laurie smiles slyly, her eyes flicker towards the jewelry store entrance they seem to be headed for. Brittany huffs, rolls her eyes, and then tugs on her sister's sleeve once more turning her attention back to the task at hand before answering any questions.

"Something nice." Brittany mumbles, her eyes focused on the display cases of glittery and shiny jewelry just beyond her reach. She smiles to herself, her gaze feasting on the beautiful necklaces, earrings and rings just below the glass case.

"Can you afford _anything_ in here?" Laurie asks, her lips twist and she lets herself enjoy the sight of lovely jewelry trying her best to blur out the prices aligned beside them. Brittany looks at her sister, smiles and nods her head as she bounces on the balls of her feet. "Okay." The older Pierce sister drawls out with a questioningly raised eyebrow, but follows when Brittany brushes by her and kneels in front of a glass case near the back of the store.

"How about… something like this?" Brittany wonders, her voice soft and nervous as she glances over her shoulder to get her sisters approval. Laurie's eyes widen, just a tiny bit, and she opens her mouth to speak but only a small breath escapes her lips. "Do you think she'd like it?" She asks, turns back to the case and smiles at the bright and shiny thing that caught her eye.

* * *

><p>"I like it." Santana comments as she walks by Quinn at the computer at Nelson's. She leans her elbows on the counter top and tilts her head to the side, her lips pressed together and her eyes going over every inch of the blonde's new hair cut. Quinn huffs, closes out a check and shoves the money into her book before spinning around and glaring at her friend.<p>

"You're only saying that because you feel bad." The blonde reminds her before pushing her shoulder and walking away, but Santana is quick to follow her over to the soda station.

"Actually, I would only be saying that because _I_ paid for it." Santana counters, crosses her arms and shrugs her shoulder which garners another feisty stare down from Quinn. "But seriously, I think it's a good look for you. Your new 'New York City bitch' look." She smiles one of those old patented Cheerio smiles.

"I am so happy that I don't have to deal with you all day." Quinn mutters under her breath but since it's only them and three tables, save the cooks and dishwashers, Santana surely hears her and chuckles.

"You're the dumb ass that picked up Amber's night shift." The Latina points out and Quinn merely shrugs her shoulders and shakes her head.

"She has three kids, she should be home on Christmas." The blonde states factually with a tinge of sadness.

"I'm pretty sure she's Jewish, but, yeah whatever." Santana muses and glances quickly over at her table to make sure they don't need anything. "Speaking of matzo, how's the troll doing during her trip back to her kosher homeland?" She asks with absolutely no curiosity at all, just simply trying to stray the conversation away from Quinn's hair, or lack thereof. The blonde smiles to herself, glances down at her apron where her hands are smoothing out the fabric and hums.

"She's doing good." Quinn tells her, lifts her head only to find Santana inspecting her fingernails and nodding politely or as politely as Santana can nod when referring to Rachel.

"That's _swell_." The Latina fake smiles and turns around to walk away. "Gotta check on table thirteen." She waves the blonde off and is soon back on the floor being 'nice' to her guests at table thirteen."

Quinn shakes her head, always Santana to change the subject thinking she's being all quick and clever. It doesn't deter the blonde from enjoying the topic of her girlfriend being brought up and the fact that she is coming home in three days. She sticks her hand into the pocket of her apron to grab her phone because she wants to read over the text message she had received from Rachel about twenty minutes ago.

She grins because her girlfriend's text was in response to the picture she'd sent of her new haircut. Rachel told her she loved it and that she can't wait to see how hot she looks in person with it. She also mentioned a little something about how sexy she will look in bed with that hot hairdo. Quinn feels herself blush as she reads that part over and she covers the smile on her lips with her hand because she is definitely grinning like an idiot.

"Anyway," Santana comes back within minutes and is by Quinn's side once more. "I was thinking of ordering Chinese tonight." She mentions as she takes out her nail file from her apron and gets to business, keeping her eyes focused on filing away. "Should I just get the usual for your fat ass?" She smirks with a quirked eyebrow and pokes her friend in the said with her nail file.

"Our lives are so sad right now." Quinn mumbles, shaking her head at the both of them standing by the soda station in their Nelson's uniforms. "It's Christmas day and here we are," She motions to them and Santana lifts her eyes from her nails and watches her friend's hands move. "Working, talking about Chinese food and being girlfriend-less." Santana frowns slightly at the mention of 'girlfriends', her eyes lower and she slightly bends her nail file between her fingers.

"At least we have each other." The Latina points out, shaking off the vibe the blonde is putting out there and clears her throat. "So we're not entirely alone."

"Speak for yourself." Quinn pushes her shoulder playfully. "At least you get out of here at like four, I'm stuck here until closing and knowing my luck they won't let me out of here till at least two." She scoffs, the idea of spending her entire holiday at Nelson's is nothing short of a living nightmare. "Besides, I've been thinking," Her tone changes and she leans her arm on the counter top, resting her chin in her hand and watches as Santana continues to meticulously file her finger nails. "What are we gonna do when you and Britt move out?" Santana's eyes shoot up and her hands still. "You and me I mean, like when we feel lonely. Or after work, we're not gonna be walking each other home and shit."

"Q," Santana lowers her hands and tilts her head to the side trying her best to offer Quinn a sweet smile without letting it show that this topic really makes her sad. "We're not moving away, away. Like, to another state or whatever. Just a few minutes away." She reminds her, brings her hand up to her arm and rubs it affectionately. "Besides, we're still gonna be working together and we are totally having our nights out regardless of what our women say." She gives the blonde a pointed look which finally cracks Quinn's sad puppy dog expression into a grin and she nods.

"Santana," A deep voice comes from out of nowhere behind them. "How many times have I told you that your hygiene routines are to be done before or after work, not during." It's Roger, their assistant manager, and he is pointing sternly at the nail file in Santana's hands with a very unimpressed look on his face.

"Sorry Rog, guess I forgot." She shoots him a fake apologetic smile and shoves the nail file back into her apron, he nods thankfully, too stupid to see through her falseness. Quinn chuckles trying to cover her mouth with her hand. She watches over her shoulder as Roger practically hops his way over to one of her tables asking the customers if everything is satisfactory.

"I'm just waiting for the day I can finally quit this job." Santana mumbles, glaring openly at Roger who is oblivious to her not so subtle rage. After a moment she lets the seething course through and out and spins back to smile happily at Quinn. "One day, in the not so distant future, I will be free of this wretched prison and be my own boss." The blonde quirks an eyebrow at her friend's newfound overachieving side and smirks, she can only imagine the type of business Santana has lined up for herself.

"Oh yeah, and what are you gonna be the boss of?" She challenges as she crosses her arms over her chest.

"We'll see." Santana sighs out and leans on the counter, her gaze fixed into 'somewhere out there' and she twists her lips in daydream.

* * *

><p>"That was quick." Mrs. Pierce says, surprise in her voice as she watches her daughter's walk in the front door. Laurie and Brittany smile at their mother and nod as they quickly remove their winter gear and put it in the appropriate place. "What was the sudden need to shop?" She asks as she puts down a few things she'd been carrying into the living room. Laurie steps away from her sister to go down the hall to the den to check on her husband and son leaving Brittany and her mother alone in the living room.<p>

"I just had an idea for a gift for Santana." Brittany explains easily enough, her mother chuckles when catching a glimpse of the bag and shakes her head motioning for the young blonde to follow her into the dining room.

"Well, you two got back just in time. Everyone's here so we can start eating in ten." Mrs. Pierce tells the girl as she hands her some silverware to place out beside the plates.

"I'm sorry that we had to push up dinner time. I hope it wasn't an inconvenience for anyone." Her mother chuckles once again, waving her off as if it's no big deal.

"I'm sure Nana is more than happy to have dinner early." The older woman says, glancing up from her side of the table. "This way she can get her drink on sooner." Mrs. Pierce winks and Brittany giggles at her mother's comment, agreeing that Nana Pierce most definitely will enjoy have more hours to drink. "Now, why don't you go put that special gift away, and don't put it in your luggage, I don't trust those people at the airports." She points at the bag that Brittany had left on the table by the door as she stands up straight and unties the apron she has on. "Put it in with your carry on, this way it's in your possession on the plane." Brittany nods and watches her mother walk out of the dining room and disappear down the hallway to tell everyone that dinner is ready to be served.

* * *

><p>"I'll see you at home Q." Santana tells her friend in a rush, waving over her shoulder as she walks by the front desk. Quinn glances up at her over a few customers and nods, her eyes widening and her lips mouthing 'kill me now', prompting a chuckle from the Latina.<p>

It's a lot colder than it was this morning and Santana is most definitely not regretting the gloves she pretends not to notice Brittany stuff in the pockets. Their hot pink and fluffy and kind of embarrassing in a 'these could be my little cousins' kind of way, but, they are keeping her from getting frost bite right now so whatever. There is actually a lot more traffic on the sidewalks than she would have imagined for Christmas night but then again, she reasons, this is not small town Lima where people literally don't leave their houses for anything during Christmas dinner.

The option for a taxi is not there seeing as everyone and their mother who is trying to get home to their families or somebody's for the holiday are standing at every corner stalking out the yellow cars. It's much better to waste twenty minutes walking than twenty minutes of waiting and then another twenty minutes walking, saves her forty minutes from standing in the blistering winter cold of New York.

When she finally does get to the front door of their apartment complex she is as frozen as a Popsicle. Her hand shakes a little bit as she pulls the door open and lets out a huge sigh of relief as she becomes bombarded by the heat of the foyer of the building. The elevator is broken so she has to take the stairs tonight, but, she reasons, it's only two floors to her apartment so she can manage being on her feet for a few more minutes. On her way up she envisions the copious amounts of Chinese food she plans on ordering, strewn about the coffee table at her disposal. She wasn't going to do it, but she knows that there is a marathon of _It's a Wonderful Life_ on television and she seriously can't fight the urge.

She passes by a few of her neighbors as she makes her way down the hallway, doing her best to offer polite smiles even though she is still thawing out. When she opens the door to their apartment she is greeted by the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree which confuses her because she is pretty sure that she had shut them off like she does every morning. But, then again, her and Quinn _were_ in kind of a hurry this morning so she shrugs it off as well as her jacket which she tosses onto the couch.

Her shoes are next, kicking them under the table where she throws her keys down and groans to herself at the way it feels to be out of those non-slip sneakers after five hours. She pulls at the hair tie, letting her long, dark locks come down and sighs at the pressure being relieved as she walks down the hallway and into her bedroom.

She hits the lights and glances over at the clock to see that it had only taken her a good twenty two minutes to walk home from work and she smiles, feeling kind of impressed with herself. Just as she is about to go back into the living room to retrieve her phone she hears something. It sounds like a tapping or maybe a dripping or maybe a scratching. Whatever it is, she definitely hears _something_… or some_one_. Her eyes close and she takes in a deep breath because she needs complete silence to make sure she is not hearing things.

But then it happens again, she hears it. Her eyes pop open and her lips part, letting out the breath she's been holding long and low. She glances around the room in search of some sort of device to strike a quick blow if it's called for, and that's when she remembers her secret weapon. She'd put it there the day they moved in for emergencies, and this seemed like the moment she was going to have to use it. Santana quietly, but quickly, moves towards the bed and reaches underneath to retrieve the bat she has stowed away there.

"Hello?" Santana calls out, her hands are beginning to sweat and she is nervously gripping at the bat handle as she raises it behind her. She is not in the mood for some sort of cat burglar, she's got shit to do, like order Chinese food and call her girlfriend for some hot phone sex. "Who's there?" She yells out a little louder as she slowly makes her way down the hall. She hadn't noticed before when she went to her bedroom is that the light is on in the bathroom and the door is closed. Her eyes widen, because obviously the culprit is inside and… taking a shower? "What the fuck?" She mutters under her breath and releases the bat with one hand to reach for the door knob but at that moment is when the door opens and she shrieks. "What the…" She stops in mid scream and her head jerks back at the sight before her as well as the terror filled shrill.

"Santana!"

"Britt?" Santana breathes out in utter bewilderment. "What the…" She lowers the bat, the end of it hits the floor sending a sound of metal against wood echo through the apartment. Brittany lowers her hands and lets out a long breath she'd been holding in and brings her hand to her chest to steady her heartbeat.

"Oh my God you scared me." The blonde sighs in relief of not being bludgeoned to death. She tilts her head and furrows her brow as she looks at Santana's weapon. "Why do you have a bat? Where'd you get that thing?" Brittany questions, points at it and sends her girlfriend a confused look. Santana huffs, she'd been holding her breath as well and shakes her head back to reality and glances down at the bat in her hand.

"Oh, I keep it under the bed." She explains before realizing she should be the one asking the questions around here. "_Wait_, forget the bat." She drops it, making the sound of metal hitting wood even louder. "What the hell are you doing here?" Santana asks, surprise back in her voice and a small smile begins to creep up at the corners of her lips. Brittany smiles in return and her hands tug on the belt of the robe she has on which the Latina recognizes as her own.

"Merry Christmas Santana." The blonde whispers as she leans in to press her lips to her girlfriend's and it is a gesture that is greatly received. Santana's hands instinctively go to rest on Brittany's hips and Brittany's arms wrap around her neck to pull her closer.

"Yeah, Merry Christmas to you too sweetie, but, that doesn't really answer my question." Santana giggles against the blonde's mouth and pecks her once again before pulling back to look at her face. "You're supposed to be home, celebrating Christmas with your family." She reminds the blonde, her thumbs rub against the material of the robe and presses it into her girlfriend's skin.

"I know." Brittany nods her head and then nips at Santana's bottom lip quickly.

"Okay." Santana drawls out in a laugh, her head shakes side to side and she wraps her arms around Brittany's waist to press their bodies together.

"I had to come home, _here_, because I have to give you something." She begins and she runs her hands down Santana's arms until she is reaching behind her own back to grab at her girlfriend's hands. When she is holding tanned fingers with her own she steps forward to bring them both out into the hallway, leading them into the bedroom.

"You didn't have to come all the way home to give me a gift B." Santana starts. "Besides…" But Brittany cuts her off.

"I know, before you say anything, that we were going to pick a day to do gifts. But, since I'm home I figured we could do it right." She sends a wink over her shoulder at Santana and walks them over to the bed where she signals for the Latina to have a seat.

"But what about your family babe?" Santana asks her, her voice soft and low ad Brittany can't help but smile back at her.

"Santana," She looks down for a moment and shrugs her shoulders. "_You're_ my family too." The Latina can't fight the huge grin that comes to her face, just absolutely beaming at her girlfriend's words.

Santana sits down and watches her girlfriend walk over towards her jacket that is hanging on the chair in front of the vanity and she wonders how she'd not noticed it before when she got home. Oh yeah, she remembers, it's because she was being hasty in looking for a weapon to kill an 'intruder'. Brittany has something in her hand but she is keeping it behind her back as she makes her way back to the bed. The mattress dips when the Brittany sits down and Santana curiously eyes her up with a shy smile.

"Okay, I don't want you to freak out on me." Brittany states calmly getting a slight nod from her girlfriend. "This isn't what you think it is, so please, just let me finish before you say a word." The blonde gives her a stern look which after a few long moments Santana sighs, rolls her eyes and nods in agreement. Her eyes widen however when Brittany brings the hand behind her back into sight and in the palm of her hand is a small, black, velvet box. "Shhh." Brittany hushes her instantly and she closes her mouth, only then realizing she had opened it to say something. "I know that we have only been dating for about, nine months." Santana nods, eyes still wide and flickering from the box to Brittany's blues. "But, I also know we've been unofficially together long before that." She smiles sweetly, soft and sincerely that Santana can feel her heart melt and she decides to keep her eye fixed on Brittany's, almost completely forgetting about the tiny box, almost. "You make me so incredibly happy I just want to shout it from the rooftops and tell everyone I see and meet that I am with the most amazing girl in the world." A tiny tear of happiness escapes from the corner of Santana's eye but she quickly wipes it away. "But, in all honesty, I don't really care who knows how much I love you, ya know? All that matters to me is that _you_ know." Her head tilts to the side and then her eyes look down to the box in her hand and they both watch as she slowly opens it.

Santana gasps, her eyebrows raise and her hand comes to her chest. She smiles a tight lipped smile and tilts her head to the side as she stares at the ring in the box. Her hand comes up to her mouth and she lets out a tiny chuckle that sounds like a sigh and a breath at the same time which garners a perplexed look from Brittany.

"Do you not like it?" The blonde nervously asks, her eyes moving from glistening browns to the ring with the sapphire stone set in the center. "I know it's not your birthstone if that's what you're upset about." She quickly tries to fix the situation, unable to read her girlfriend's expression and getting nervous by the second. She shifts on the bed closer to Santana so that her knee is touching the Latina's thigh. "It's mine, I guess I just… I…" Her head drops and her eyes search their comforter for something, anything to say to diffuse whatever it is she just did but instead, two fingers come to her chin and lift her head.

"Babe," Santana whispers, her eyes sparkling even more than before and her lips are in that sweet and gentle smile. "It's fucking perfect." She nods slowly, making sure that Brittany understands that she is being honest and the blonde finally lets out a long sigh of relief.

"Oh thank goodness." Brittany exhales, dropping her hands to her lap. "I just…" She pauses for a moment, swallows because her throat feels dry and she grabs Santana's hand. "I don't know if you want this to be a promise ring, or, I don't know…" She sucks in her lips and looks off to the side for a moment to gather her thoughts. "I want you to be able to look at it, every day, especially if there are times that we're apart like this week and know that without a doubt I love you. With all my heart." Santana sniffles and brings her hand to Brittany's cheek before leaning in slowly to press a kiss to her girlfriend's lips.

"I love you too." She whispers onto her lips and they smile into the kiss. "Can you put it on me?" Santana asks quietly, pulling back just enough to see those blue eyes. Brittany grins and bashfully nods as she scoops the ring out of the box and pulls up Santana's hand.

"Left hand?" Brittany asks cautiously, not wanting to make the wrong move with such a meaningful gesture. Santana nods immediately, her coy smile never leaving her lips.

"If you want it to be, I mean, I would like it to be." Santana breathes out in the faintest of voices Brittany almost doesn't hear her.

"What?" The blonde asks, her eyes lock into Santana's.

"A promise ring." She watches Brittany's throat visible move as she swallows and their eyes remained locked with her hand still held in the blonde's.

"What's the promise?" Brittany croaks out, her voice suddenly betraying her confidence. The corner of Santana's mouth curls up and she bats her eyelashes as she thinks of her response.

"That," Santana is the first to break the intense staring competition and she clears her throat before looking back up at those sparkling blue eyes. "One day…" Her voice trails off and she realizes, as her brain searches to finish it, she doesn't really need to say anything else. Brittany seems to agree judging by the tiny smile forming on her lips and she nods twice.

"One day." She repeats Santana's words as she brings the ring to the tip of her girlfriend's ring finger and they both watch as she slips it on.

They sit there in complete silence for a few moments, both still staring at the ring and then at each other. Their smiles are goofy and it's obvious just how smitten one is with the other. Santana finally takes her hand, the one with the new piece of jewelry, and lifts it up to cup Brittany's cheek. She marvels at how different everything looks with that ring added in the mix and it makes her stomach, deep down, flutter like crazy. Slowly, she leans in and presses her lips to Brittany for a sweet, chaste kiss. When she pulls back she sighs out a giggle and shakes her head.

"What are you laughing at?" Brittany asks and reaches for Santana's hand once again, dipping her head to meet those brown eyes. Santana looks up and tilts her head.

"I can't believe you're here, that's all." The Latina says easily enough, and takes the hand that is grabbing at hers. "How did you manage this?"

"Well," The blonde begins and moves to sit beside her girlfriend on the bed and pulls her down so that they are lying with their heads on the pillows. "This is why I couldn't tell you what my big gift was over the phone." She explains but Santana can only quirk an eyebrow and turn her head towards her. "My parents got me an earlier flight."

"To come home?" Santana questions in confusion.

"No." Brittany smiles sweetly and leans over to kiss Santana's cheek.

"Wait, so a plane ticket was your big gift?" She chuckles.

"The plane ticket brought me to my gift." Brittany tells her in all seriousness and her amused grin slowly fades and she pulls the blonde in for a passionate kiss.


	22. Chapter 22

_**hola! yay for updates. it's like a party... or something like it.:) i hope you totes love all the goodies in here.**_

_**read and review:):) love you's guys.**_

* * *

><p>"Oh, give me some of that shrimp." Brittany says through a mouthful of orange chicken. Santana giggles as she tilts the Chinese food container around to pick out the biggest pierce she can find.<p>

The girls are sitting on the couch, Santana with her back against Brittany's front, and their legs entwined while resting their feet on top of the coffee table. The blonde awkwardly leans forward when her girlfriend lifts the requested shrimp between her chopsticks.

"Mmm, so good." Brittany groans out, her eyes close and she smiles as she chews, leaning her head against Santana's. Her hands almost meet one another as they lay against the Latina's toned stomach, tickling with her fingers along her sides every few seconds. "I could get used to you feeding me." The blonde notes cutely, nuzzling her nose into the other girls cheek.

"I bet." Santana chuckles as she shifts her body to rest further against her girlfriends. "Here's another." She says as she lifts another shrimp above her shoulder.

Brittany takes it gratefully, grinning at the way Santana tosses her a quick wink before looking back into the container.

"Can we have a rule at our new place?" Brittany asks after finishing her second shrimp and Santana looks over at her while slowly slurping the noodles from her chopsticks. "That we're only allowed to sit on the couch like this." The blonde states with a quirked eyebrow and a smirk on her lips causing Santana to quickly suck the rest of the noodles into her mouth and shove the chopsticks into the box to use her hand to cover her mouth as she laughs.

"Babe." She starts with a whine, only to realize she has too much food in her mouth to continue. "So instead of speaking she grins, tilts her head and shakes it, giving Brittany an adoring look.

"I mean, seriously, it's cozy. You," Her finger lightly grazes tanned skin. "Naked of course." She winks, wrapping her arms around Santana's waist a little tighter. "And me," Brittany shrugs.

"Naked of course." Santana finishes that sentence making her girlfriend chuckle.

"Yes." She places a soft kiss to the shorter girls shoulder before she grabs the lo-mien container and leans forward to place it onto the coffee table. "With a blanket, barely covering the both of us." The blonde grins and tugs at the sheet from their bedroom wrapped loosely around them and she leans back, pulling Santana against her once again. "And lights flickering off in the distance." She points to their Christmas tree that is blinking up the room.

"Brittany Pierce, I think that you are kind of a romantic." Santana coos sweetly, looking over her shoulder at Brittany.

"Only with you my love." Brittany whispers and leans in carefully to place a kiss to her girlfriend's lips.

They stare into each other's eyes for a few seconds, just enjoying the view along with the other's company. Brittany hums out a smile and shakes her head before resting it against the back of the couch.

"What?" Santana asks softly, a curious smile on her lips. Brittany reaches across her girlfriend's body and grabs her left hand with her right, bringing both of their attention to their hands.

"I just…" Blue eyes flicker down to the shiny new addition on Santana's left hand and Brittany's thumb plays with it. "Nevermind," She chuckles at herself and shakes her head, nervously dropping Santana's hand in the process. "Forget it, it's stupid."

"No, tell me." The Latina presses, lifting her right hand to Brittany's cheek to get her to look at her.

"It's really corny." The blonde admits shyly garnering a smirk out of the other girl.

"I love corny." Santana beams.

"No you don't." Brittany laughs and Santana raises her eyebrows in response.

"Try me." She challenges.

"Okay." Brittany takes a deep breath and Santana watches her girlfriend take her left hand into both of her hands. "The way you look, with this ring on you, I just," She lets out a sigh and rests her chin to Santana's shoulder, leaving her lips beside her ear. "All I can see is the girl… the woman I am going to marry, one day." She whispers and then there is silence and she can't help but nervously feel she's said the wrong thing. Santana shifts but then rests her head on Brittany's.

"And, you didn't see that before?" Santana questions, her voice unsteady with amusement.

"Of course I did, always have." Brittany admits. "But now," She plays with the piece of jewelry on Santana's finger. "It's closer to real." Santana sits up and turns her body to face Brittany.

"One day." The grin at what those words now mean and she opens her mouth to speak more but the sound of her voice trails off and she hums, moving her head side to side.

Finally she just lets her head rest against the blonde's chest and Brittany doesn't really mind the sentence is left unfinished, mostly because she knows that the thought is anything but unfinished. She wraps her arms tighter around Santana, brings her lips to dark hair, breathes out and sets a hard kiss to the back of her head. Her smile grows at the feel of her girlfriend's hands coming to her forearms and how they squeeze affectionately. Brittany moves her lips to the side of Santana's head, pressing another kiss into her hair while slowly trailing her hand up. Her fingers graze the Latina's side, smirking at the way Santana's breathing changes with each tickle between their skin.

Once her hand is high enough, Brittany swipes Santana's hair from her neck and sets her lips to the newly exposed skin. With slow, tiny kisses, the blonde sighs out in delight at her girlfriend's soft skin against her lips.

"You're so beautiful Santana." She whispers into the Latina's ear, then places a kiss to her earlobe and Santana turns her head to smile up at her.

"You have to say that, you're my girlfriend." Santana points out with a challenging quirked eyebrow, which gets a chuckle out of the blonde. She scrunches her nose and moves her hand to Santana's shoulder, massaging the muscles there.

"Exactly." Brittany agrees with a wide grin and Santana is quick to shoot her a curious stare. "As your girlfriend, I should tell you you're beautiful because it's the truth. I should tell you that your smile makes my heart smile." They grin at one another goofily. "And as your girlfriend, I should tell you that you're beautiful because it's the truth. I should tell you that your smile makes my heart melt." They grin goofily at one another, noses scrunch and they lean in for a quick peck. "And as your girlfriend, I should always tell you I love you." The blonde carefully explains. "I'm pretty sure it's in the job description of being your girlfriend." Santana stares back at Brittany thoughtfully, tilts her head to the side and then in a slow motion, throws her legs across the blonde's lap.

"You're my sweetheart." Santana breathes out, as though she's just figured out something new, but so proud of it.

"You know," Brittany starts as she runs her hands down the length of Santana's leg. "I almost forgot the surprise I had for you." She smirks at her girlfriend and bites on her lower lip as she crinkles her nose.

Before Santana can even say a word or think up some witty retort, Brittany hooks an arm beneath the Latina's knees and behind her back so she is holding the smaller girl. She yelps as the blonde pushes them up from the couch, giggling as she does so, and carefully adjusts the girl in her arms.

"I was so thrown off when you nearly attacked me before." She shoots Santana a look, shaking her head as she leads them into the hallway. "That I completely forgot what I had been preparing for you." She winks and turns them in towards the bathroom. She nods her head for Santana to turn and look inside the room from the doorway, her brown eyes widen as she takes in the flickering lights of those electric candles they bought during the blackout a month ago. Her jaw drops at the sight of rose petals strewn across the counter and tiled floor.

"Britt." Santana breathes out, adjusting her grip around Brittany's neck, then she slowly turns to look at her.

"I thought… well, I figured that after a long day at work, you'd like to relax." The blonde shrugs and glances at the girl in her arms bashfully.

"Are you going to be joining me?" Santana smirks, arching an eyebrow as she trails her fingers over light colored skin and turns her head enough to press er lips to Brittany's shoulder.

While the bath water runs creating a slew of bubbles as it fills the rub, Santana and Brittany stand face to face, hands on hips and shoulders and cheeks.

"Come away with me and we'll kiss." Santana sings softly through a smile and leans in and up to kiss Brittany on the lips. The blonde grins in return, flattens her hand at the small of the Latina's back and starts to sway them from side to side. "On a mountain top. Come away with me." She continues, wrapping her arms loosely around Brittany's neck and leaning back just enough to look into those blue eyes. "And I'll never stop loving you."

Brittany hums out one of those bashful smiles and closes the gap between their lips once again. They slowly move in a circle in the middle of the bathroom with only the sound of water running. Blue eyes flicker to the tub and a smirk graces Brittany's lips when she notices that the bath is complete, well, almost.

"Ready?" The blonde asks, quirking an eyebrow and motions towards the tub with her head. Santana smiles and nods, unhooking her arms from Brittany's neck and brings her hand to find her girlfriend's.

They take the two steps needed to reach the tub and Brittany enters first, hand still in Santana's who helps her in. She lets go of her girlfriend and lowers herself into a sitting position with her back against the foot of the tub.

"Come here babe." Brittany holds out her hand once again and with the other motions for Santana to take the spot right in front of her.

Santana does as requested and within seconds she is sitting between Brittany's legs, her back leaning into the blonde's front. The Latina lets out a moan, simply enjoying the hot water and her girlfriend's skin touching her own.

"Lean you head back, relax." Brittany coos into her ear, splaying her hands across Santana's stomach and chest. She lets out a content sigh when Santana's head leans into her shoulder and she turns her head to kiss her girlfriend's cheek.

"Mmm." Santana hums, her eyes closing at the feel of Brittany's hand moving from her chest to her shoulder, gently massaging the muscles there. "That feels nice, B." She adds after a few moments and Brittany grins, nuzzling her nose into her girlfriend's cheek.

"You're tight." The blonde comments and smirks at the airy giggle that comes through her girlfriend's nose.

"That's what she said." Santana mumbles in her over relaxed daze, and receives a chuckle from the blonde.

"How has work been?" Brittany asks, her voice soft as her thumb digs into the Latina's flesh to relieve any tension. A tiny groan resounds from Santana's throat, her head subtlely shakes from side to side.

"Exhausting." She grumbles, then takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly and places her left hand on the blonde's thigh, letting her thumb caress the skin beneath the bubbly water. "People are so needy and rarely happy." She comments. "But, it's money so, I guess I can't really complain." Brittany nods, presses a kiss to the side of Santana's head into her hair.

"What are you gonna do when you start school?" She inquires, moving her hand to Santana's bicep.

"I told them already that come January I can only work part-time." She explains. "Which is going to suck because money's probably going to be a little tight till summer." Brittany shakes her head and smiles.

"Well," She starts. "I have one other little surprise."

"Hmm, what's that?" Santana quirks an eyebrow with her eyes still closed.

"My parents said they are going to pay the first few months of our new place." The blonde reveals and her hands still when Santana's body stiffens under her touch. Brown eyes pop open and her fingers stop grazing her girlfriend's leg.

"W…why?" Santana stammers curiously, making the blonde giggle.

"Because, they don't want you to stress over work. They want you to focus on school." She explains and Santana slowly sits up and looks over her shoulder to look at Brittany.

"Britt, I don't know if… I mean, do they think I can't handle it?" She questions, her brow furrows in worry. "I mean, do they think that I can't provide for you, because that could be a bigger…"

"Wait, wait." Brittany holds her hand up and shakes her head. "First of all, this relationship is a two way street, we provide for each other." She states. "Secondly, they want to help because they don't want you to worry yourself about money. They want you to only worry about school." She grins. "And me of course." She winks and finally gets a smile from the Latina in her arms.

"Sweetie," Santana begins through a grin. "Not that this isn't like, super awesome news and a weight lifted by, isn't this something we shoulder have at least discussed?" She asks cautiously and Brittany regards her with a softened look.

"Santana, the way I look at it is, would you rather get financial help from them now when we are still getting our feet wet with this whole living on our thing?" She arches an eyebrow and tilts her head. "Or, would you rather be begging them for help when we have a house that needs a lot of work and a kid on the way?" She challenges, a tiny smirk plays on the corner of her mouth. Santana grins broadly and chuckles as she leans to press her lips to her girlfriends.

"Have I ever told you how smart you are?" Santana hums into the kiss.

"Maybe once or twice." The blonde replies as the other girl slowly brings her body to lean into hers once again.

"So," Santana starts after a few moments of silence. "A kid on the way, huh?"

"Mhmm." She feels Brittany nods and the way their cheeks move against one another, she knows Brittany is smiling.

"That sounds nice." Santana muses, taking Brittany's hand in her own, lifts them above the water and allowing them to watch as their fingers lace together.

"It sounds perfect." Brittany adds, placing a gentle kiss to Santana's earlobe.

"Everything with you is perfect." The Latina admits softly.

After spending a while in the bath, enjoying conversation and each other's company, they decide to shower to rinse off the soap and take things to the bedroom. Brittany steps out first and then helps Santana out, already holding a towel to dry them off.

They walk down the hallway, towels wrapped around them and pinkies linked. They grin at one another as they enter their bedroom, only slowing down to let Santana shut the door behind her. Brittany turns to face her girlfriend, lifts Santana's left hand just below eye level and she gazes at the shimmering stone on her finger.

"It's really beautiful Brittany." Santana notes, wriggling her ring finger for emphasis. Brittany smiles out a cute giggle.

"Not as beautiful as the way you look wearing it." She breathes out, leaning in to carefully plant a kiss onto Santana's lips.

"What do you say we get into bed," Santana looks just over Brittany's shoulder towards said object. "You lie on your stomach and I tickle your back while you tell me all about your trip." She smiles, lightly tickling down the blonde's sides.

Once they're free of their towels, they slip comfortably onto the bed and under the covers, lifting it just up to their waists. Brittany lies on her stomach, stuffing her hands underneath her pillow with her face turned towards Santana. The Latina lies on her side, one hand tucked beneath her cheek that rests on her pillow while her other hand tickles the blonde's soft back.

Santana smiles as Brittany relays the events of her trip back home. She laughs along with her when the blonde talks about her nephew and grins at how her little sister made them a picture after finding out they are getting their own place.

She tells Brittany that they should frame it and hang it on the wall of their new apartment, and even suggests that sometime in the future Jaime should come visit them. They discuss color schemes for when they move and if they should have a landline in case their cell phones get bad reception there.

Brittany asks if they can get the Swiffer wet jet because it looks fun, plus it's so much easier than moving around a heavy bucket. Santana chuckles and leans forward to press a soft kiss to Brittany's shoulder, using her thumb to rub it in. She assures her that they can get any and every Swiffer product the blonde wants.

Thirty minutes later the two are sound asleep, Brittany's head nestled into the crook of Santana's neck. The moonlight is streaking through the tiny crack of their closed curtains, hitting Santana's hand on Brittany's back, perfectly illuminating the shiny jewel on her finger.

They slept soundly for a few hours until a banging sound followed by a thud just outside their bedroom woke them up. Santana jolts upright in bed, clutching the covers to her chest and stared at the door with wide, very aware eyes. Brittany lifts her body up slowly, wiping her sleepy eyes with a closed fit and leans over to turn her bedside light on.

"What was that?" She mumbles, turning over on the bed so she is sitting beside Santana.

"I don't know." Santana whispers, sheets still pulled close to her body with one hand while the other blindly reaches over for any part of Brittany she can find. "Where are you going?" She shrieks quietly when she comes up empty and finds that Brittany is getting up from bed. "What are you doing?" She crawls down to the edge of the bed reaching out for the blonde. "Don't leave me." She whines, hopelessly watching as Brittany leans over to pick up a pair of shorts from the floor and pulls them up.

"It's probably Quinn." The blonde waves her off, continuing on her way towards the door.

"Wait." Santana says loudly but still whispering, stopping Brittany in her tracks and the blonde looks over her shoulder, sleep still in her eyes.

"What?" Brittany asks, watching as Santana climbs off of the bed with the sheet wrapped around her and chuckles as she grips her arm but stands behind her.

"What if it's not Quinn?" The Latina nervously wonders, taking tiny steps behind her girlfriend who is once again heading for the door. Brittany is about to respond but they both snap their heads towards their bedroom door when they hear some hushed cursing from the hallway.

"What if it is?" Brittany smirks, reaching out for the door knob and before she fully opens it she looks down at her chest where Santana's hands have come up to cup her breasts.

"Either way, they're not getting a free show." The dark haired girl comments, making sure to cover her girlfriend's boobs with her hands.

Brittany is the first to let out a loud laugh, Santana looks at the blonde's back that is bouncing up and down in her fit of giggles not quite understanding. She gets on her tippy toes to look over the taller girl's shoulder and glances down to the obvious sight of humor. Quinn is sprawled out on the floor in the hallway, rubbing her hip and her head and giving the evil eye to the bat Santana had used previously to defend herself from Brittany.

"Shit Q, you okay?" Santana asks, a tiny smirk gracing her lips as she eyes her friends obvious late night misfortune. The blonde in question looks up, hand still on her head and shoots the Latina a glare which is quickly wiped away when she finds that there is another blonde standing before her.

"Oh my God!" Quinn crawls up the wall to get back to her feet, brushes her clothes off and kicks the bat away before walking over to the couples bedroom doorway. She stops for a second and her eyes rake over what is going on in front of her, eyes staying a little longer on Santana's hands covering Brittany's chest and she quirks an eyebrow. "Okay." She chuckles and shakes her head, she should not really be surprised in catching her friends in a situation such as this.

"I love, love your hair!" Brittany exclaims and moves to take a step forward, completely forgetting about being topless and how she is currently wearing a Santana hand top.

"Thanks." Quinn laughs out, bringing her hand up to play with her newly short hair. "When did you get in?" She asks still pretty shocked that the other blonde has returned unbeknownst to her.

"Today." Brittany grins, shooting a quick glance to her girlfriend behind her who is resting her chin on her. "It was a surprise." Her nose crinkles at the both of them and Quinn nods, her eyes finding it hard to glance down again because the two are just so comfortable being relatively naked in front of anyone. Just as she is about to look up again something catches her eye and her brow furrows and her lips part slightly.

"What the hell is that?" Quinn blurts out, lifting her hand to point at where her eyes are staring. Brittany's face falls with confusion and she looks around where her friend is pointing and Santana even tries to stand a little taller to look as well.

"What?" The dancer asks, apparently looking everywhere but at the exact spot Quinn is pointing at.

"This." The short haired girl says and has no shame in reaching forward to grab Santana's hand from Brittany's boob and thumb the ring on her finger. "Is this… what is this?" She arches an eyebrow and suspiciously eyes her friends who bashfully look at one another briefly.

"I think it's called a ring." Santana obnoxiously replies in humor filled sarcastic tone but lacking that bite her remarks usually carry. Quinn glares at her, rolls her eyes and then pulls on Santana's hand to bring the girl from behind Brittany to eye the ring in the lit hallway. "Hey, hey watch it. I'm naked under here." The Latina jokingly berates her friend who just scoffs and waves off her protests.

"Like you care." Quinn comments as she brings the ringed finger closer to her face to get a better look.

"I got it for her for Christmas." Brittany beams, wrapping her arms around Santana's waist and resting her cheek to the Latina's.

"It's fucking beautiful." The blonde says, shaking her head from side to side.

"Right." The dark haired girl grins, leaning into Brittany's body more, her eyes sparkling as they stare at the ring being ogled by Quinn.

"So what does this mean?" She asks, looking up from the rock to Brittany and Santana, finally letting the shorter girl get her hand back.

"It's a promise ring." Santana responds bashfully, glancing over her shoulder to her girlfriend who kisses her cheek. Quinn can't help the wide smile that forms on her lips, she grins so hard and proudly her cheeks actually hurt.

"Aw, you guys make me want to throw up." She chuckles, surging forward and pulling them both into a tight hug.

"Naked, naked." Santana reminds her as best she can considering she is currently in a death grip.

* * *

><p>"Babe, come on we're waiting on you." Brittany calls out from the couch in the living room. She is flipping through a magazine while Rachel and Quinn sit on the other side whispering cute little things into each other's ears.<p>

"I'm almost ready." Santana yells back and the blonde giggles when she hears a few thumps and bumps come from their bedroom.

"What is she doing in there?" Quinn whines as she adjusts her spot on Rachel's lap. "By the time we get there the line is going to be insane and it's pretty fucking cold out." She points out and the brunette nods in agreement. Brittany huffs, shuts the magazine and tosses it onto the coffee table and pushes herself up from the couch to go and retrieve her girlfriend.

"Okay, okay I'm ready to get my New Years on." Santana announces as she walks into the living room from the hallway and making Brittany stop dead in her tracks. "How do I look?" She spins around, letting the hem of her red dress rise up a little from the wind as she moves. When she stops and is facing Brittany she smirks, taking in her girlfriend's mouth hanging open and her cheeks turning a tint of pink. "That good huh?" She quirks an eyebrow and saunters over towards the taller blonde.

"Santana, you look…" Brittany's voice fails her, her eyes way too busy taking in the flawlessness that is her girl. "You look stunning." She finally looks up to meet those sparkling brown eyes and smiles brightly.

"You don't look so bad yourself." Santana winks and circles her arms around the blonde's neck. "You're one hot piece Miss Pierce."

"Okay you annoying almost married couple." Quinn interrupts them with her voice and a loud clap to get their attention as she jumps up from Rachel's lap. "Let's hit the road, I seriously don't plan on standing in arctic temperatures because you're both drooling over one another." She waves them off and turns back to face Rachel, holding her hands out to help her up from the couch. "Besides, my lady looks the most beautiful tonight." Rachel giggles bashfully, allowing her girlfriend to pull her to her feet.

"Aren't you a mush tonight." The brunette comments as she laces their fingers together then leans up slightly to place a kiss to Quinn's lips.

"Mmm, come on, you're distracting me from taking charge." Quinn whines with a giggle.

"Seriously, you guys make me nauseous." Santana complains and fake gags when the other couple looks in her direction.

"You are really not one to talk." Quinn spits back turning her body from Rachel to face Santana, crossing her arms over her chest and giving the girl a pointed look.

"Ugh, come on ladies." Rachel perks up and steps between them. "Tonight is New Years Eve and I believe that it should be spent not trying to see who is the best at arguing." She smiles sweetly, tilts her head and reaches for Quinn's hand.

"Look Yoda, I'm all for having a blast tonight. I mean, hello," Santana waves her hands in the air. "We are in freakin' New York City for one of the biggest nights of the year. I'm down to keep it cool as long as Fabray here can keep the smooching on garden gnomes to a minimum." She explains, tossing Rachel the same sickeningly sweet smile she so often used during her time as a McKinley High Cheerio.

"Great, let's go." Rachel declares after a moment, she knew that was a slight jab at her but she's come to realize that it is mostly all in jest. Or, at least she hopes.

The girl's put on their nice winter coats, grab their bags and head out to face the bitter cold air of the New York City streets. It's to no surprise to them when they reach the sidewalk that it is filled with pretty much everyone who lives in the city but also guests. Tourists are bundled up in their winter gear like they are prepared to go camping with that Grizzly guy on television that eats raw fish right from the frozen lake and then there are the common New York folk with their scarves on and pea coats.

They decided to head to dinner first, Brittany and Rachel want to make a night of it, something extravagant as the brunette described when they made plans. So ,they made reservations at that nice restaurant that Santana had taken Brittany to, La Rocca, and after are going to hit up some club downtown. They didn't care to stand in the freezing cold with a million and a half strangers just to watch a stupid glittery ball fall down and inform them of the New Year. Just being with loved ones is enough for the foursome, even if there is one who won't completely admit that.

"Are you sure?" Santana asks as the desk girl is showing them to their table. Brittany just shrugs her shoulders, nods and smiles at her girlfriend.

"Baby, it would only make sense." She tells her, bringing her hand up to pick a piece of lint from Santana's jacket. "Besides, how is it fair to you if I don't? Ya know?" Santana tilts her head from side to side as she mulls over her girlfriend's words, smiling at the desk girl as she motions that they have reached their table.

"Here." Brittany motions for Santana to turn around, gripping the smaller girl's jacket to help her out of it. The Latina does as she is asked, grinning to herself as the blonde removes her coat and places it on the back of the chair in front of her.

"Gross." Quinn sing songs as she passes them and pulls out Rachel's chair.

"Really Q?" Santana rolls her eyes and points to what her blonde friend is doing.

"Santana, we're being nice remember." Brittany whispers with amusement as she pulls out her chair as well and leads her with her hand to take a seat. Santana clears her throat and flips her hair, acting refined as she sits down and lets Brittany push it in for her.

"You're right. It's the last day of the year, I guess I can spare it to be kind and rewind." She smirks at her friends as she flicks out her napkin and places it on her lap.

"Do you think we can score a bottle of wine?" Brittany, Quinn and Santana are taken away from their little bantering session and turn their attention to Rachel who is beaming like a child on Halloween. "What?" She gives them a confused stare, tilting her head to the side and flipping the corner of her menu between her fingers. "I know I exude this perfect little girl persona, but I like to have a good time too." She turns to look at Quinn. "_You_ should know this." She winks and Quinn can't fight the blush that creeps to her cheeks.

"Okay, although that comment has curbed my appetite a bit, I gotta agree with troll doll over there." Santana says, motioning her hand in Rachel's direction across from her. "She's a pretty decent time when she wants to get her party on. And there's no other way to do that than to get some alcohol." She leans back in her chair and crosses her arms over her chest.

"Do you think our ID's will work here S? I mean, this place is super upscale compared to Mick's." Quinn notes, watching as her friend is already reaching to the center of the table for the wine list.

"Either they do or they don't." The Latina sighs with a shrug. "What's the worst that happens? They say no."

The four girls' agree on giving it a try on trying to get away with ordering a bottle of wine for the table. Luckily, their waitress seems like she is the most miserable person on earth and is probably thinking about quitting soon anyway so when they order she barely looks at their ID's. She even goes so far as to suggest two bottles because there are only four glasses in one, meaning only one glass per girl. Of course they fall for the obvious up charge but in hindsight it's so much better to get a decent buzz in one place before heading out to party.

Shortly after their wine arrives, the girls order their dinner, opting not to take part in their New Years dinner special because they did not want to have any starter dishes. Half way through their dinner and after some laughing and here and there conversation, Brittany lifts her glass up to propose a toast.

"Shh, Britt wants to say something." Santana hushes the other two girls and reaches for her own glass to raise it up with her girlfriend's. Rachel and Quinn do the same, pausing their conversation momentarily and turn their attention to the blonde.

"I just wanted to say that I am so happy to be here with you guys." She smiles at each girl, taking Santana's left hand in her right and looking down briefly at the ring her thumb is playing with. "We've known one another for so long and it just feels right to be heading in to the next year with one another." She continues with a nod. "So, I would like to make a toast to many more years of this. To the four of us." She raises her glass a bit higher and to the center of the table ready to clink with the other glasses.

"Cheers." Santana agrees with a nod and grins at her girlfriend as she moves her glass beside the blondes.

"I'll cheers to that." Quinn says, squeezing her girlfriend's thigh affectionately.

"Cheers." Rachel smiles and finally all their glasses are clinking in the middle of the table leaving them all giggling.

"So," Brittany breaks the momentary silence after her toast. "I was telling Santana on the way here that when we move in May that I want to get a job." She admits to the other two girls' at the table who glance briefly at the Latina who nods as she swallows a sip of wine. "But the thing is, I don't know what I should do. I mean, we can't all work at Nelson's." She jokes getting a few chuckles from the rest of the table.

"We probably _could_ get you a job there B." Quinn says, holding her fork in front of her mouth, but Brittany just shakes her head and holds her finger up while she chews her food.

"I'm sure Brittany doesn't want to cramp your style." Rachel points out to her girlfriend.

"Trust us, nothing can cramp out style there more than our uniforms." The Latina comments with a roll of her eyes.

"Word." Quinn agrees, lifting her glass towards her friend.

"It's not really that, I mean, I like that you guys have your work thing. I think it's cute." Brittany explains, tossing her girlfriend a quick grin. "I just want to do something that I like, you know… no offense."

"Ugh, none taken B." The other blonde shakes her head at the comment.

"Have you thought about something with dance?" The diva inquires. "I mean it would only make sense considering you _are_ going to school for it." The other two nod at her statement. "Besides, getting a job at some studio, especially here in New York, would be one of the best additions to your resume."

"The dwarf is right sweetie." Santana chimes in, squeezing the blonde's hand in her own, her comment makes the dancer chuckle.

"I don't think I'm allowed to teach, it's like, in my paper work at school." Brittany informs the group who fall silent for a few moments.

"What about kids?" Quinn speaks up, resting her fork to her plate and pushing it forward. "If you teach kids, you're only teaching them the basics." She shrugs. "You're not going to be letting them in on the Julliard 'secrets'." She mocks with a giggle.

"We'll figure something out." Santana assures her.

The waitress comes over shortly to clear the table and offer dessert, which the foursome decline on, especially after Santana comments that her dessert is sitting next to her. They decide on splitting up the bill four ways since neither couple could agree on who was going to pay between each other. With their jackets on and their stomachs full of food and delicious wine, the girl's find their way back out on the city streets.

With the traffic on the sidewalks and the never ending lines on the corners for cabs, Santana suggests they walk towards the club reminding them it's not really that far. They agree, but get about a block and half far before they all begin to complain about the cold and their feet hurting from walking on cement with their heels. Rachel even reasons that, when they do eventually get to the club it's probably going to be just as packed as the streets and the restaurant. This is when Quinn and Santana smirk at one another and at the same time yell 'Mick's' in a overly cheerful and semi buzzed kind of way.

It only takes them fifteen minutes to get to Mick's from where they were and as if they were meant to be there, it was only half full. They are definitely over dressed for the bar, but it is New Years after all, so Rachel explains that anything goes, especially in New York. Quinn and Brittany take their girlfriend's coats and grab a table in the middle of the bar against the wall while Rachel and Santana head towards the bar to grab a few drinks.

"I'm kind of happy we ended up here." Santana says as they reach the bar and wait for the bartender to notice them.

"I can't help but agree with you." Rachel nods, carefully placing her arms on the bar top, aware of a spill a few inches away from her. "I feel like this is kind of our place now, you know?" She glances over at Santana and offers a smile.

"Yeah, I definitely will never forget our first night here that's for sure." Santana muses, remembering the time she, Brittany and Rachel came to this exact bar. "Besides, it's not about where you are but who you're with, right?" She looks over in the direction of the table that Brittany and Quinn are sitting at and grins.

"Santana Lopez, I think that you read that off of a hallmark card." The diva jokes, receiving a heart chuckle from the Latina.

The bartender finally sees the two pretty girls waiting for him at the middle of the bar. He smiles his creepy 'I'm gonna flirt with you to get a good tip' smile at them before asking what they would like to drink. Playing on the safe side, unlike their first venture to this hole in the wall bar, the girl's decide to order a round of beers to start off.

For the remainder of the evening, or at least until 11:55pm, the four friends sit at the sticky table at Mick's in their fancy dinner outfits. They talk about school, Ohio, Glee club, their apartment's horrible heating system and the pros of Santana and Brittany having their own place. Rachel has no problem vocalizing her appreciation for their relocation solely based on the fact that the walls in their current apartment are almost none existent. Quinn orders a round of shots and her toast is more of an ultimatum for Brittany to allow her to steal Santana whenever she needs her or when she just needs to be reckless.

At 11:55pm the girl's turn their attention to the flat screen television, the only television in Mick's, along with the other patrons in the place holding their free glasses of champagne. They stand side by side, the couples with their arms around their significant other, laughing and just waiting for the ball to drop to declare the New Year. They count down along with the rest of the people and the announcers on television from ten ready to cheer and celebrate.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Happy New Year!" The four yell in unison, cheers their champagne glasses together only caring about taking a tiny sip of their drinks.

Brittany grins as she wraps one arm around Santana's waist and presses their bodies flush against one another. She giggles at how cute Santana brings her arm around her neck, letting her hand play with the back of her neck, tickling her fingers along her skin. Their faces move closer and tilt to the side bringing their lips together for their New Years kiss.

"Happy New Year baby." Brittany whispers against her girlfriend's lips.

"Happy New Year wifey." Santana replies after another peck, giggling at the way the blonde's hand on her lower back is pulling at the fabric of her dress.

"Wifey, hmm?" The dancer quirks an eyebrow and takes a sip of her champagne, eyes fixed on the girl in her arms. Santana nibbles on her bottom lip, nodding her head up and down as she stands on her toes to be face to face with the blonde.

"Well," She removes her hand from the back of Brittany's neck and flashes the ring on her finger. "One day, right?" She says, her face softening at the thoughtful look on the taller girl's face.

"If I could, I'd marry you right now." Brittany whispers in all seriousness, her eyes staring straight into those glassy from alcohol brown ones. Santana's breathe hitches in her chest, her lips part and her lips twitch in the corners to slowly form a smile. Her mouth opens to speak, but the words don't seem to come out so instead she grabs the back of Brittany's neck once more and pulls her in for a passionate kiss.

"Happy New Year Rach." Quinn smirks, leaning over to place her now empty glass down to have two free hands for her girlfriend.

"Happy New Year." The brunette replies, taking her girlfriend's hand in her own and kissing the back of it.

"What do you say we get out of here?" The blonde arches one of her perfect eyebrows and chew on her lower lip. Rachel smiles a tight lipped smile and nods. They look over at their friends to find them full on making out in the middle of the bar, not even aware of the group of people staring at them. "Oh my God, they are such tramps." Quinn chuckles, shaking her head from side to side not at all surprised.

"Hey guys!" Rachel calls out, leaning over to tap Brittany on the shoulder to get the attention of at least one of them. "Britt!" She says a little louder when her tap and shout before goes totally ignored. "Guys, we're going home!" She tells them, moving closer to them and Santana is the one who finally acknowledges them but only with a wave of her hand, not once pulling away from her girlfriend's lips.

"Let's just go." Quinn whispers into the brunette's ear with a chuckle.

Rachel and Quinn make sure that the tab is closed, figuring that their friends will have several other things on their minds when they finally peel themselves off of each other. They walk hand in hand down the block that is still littered with people, but they are in their own world that they don't even notice.

An hour later Brittany and Santana eventually make their way out of Mick's and into the brisk night air of the first day of the New Year. Their arms wrap around each other, unable to have their bodies separated for more than a second, as they walk down the block towards their apartment. They cheer and give each other high fives and kisses all over the other's face because they managed to talk the bartender at Mick's to give them a bottle of champagne, for free.

"Woop woop!" Brittany hollers into the apartment when they finally get the door open with Santana right behind her. "Let's get the party started." She declares, dancing her way into the kitchen to grab some cups for their champagne.

"Babe, wanna get changed?" Santana asks, tossing her keys onto the coffee table along with her bag and glancing around suspiciously at the empty living room. Brittany contemplates the suggestion and shrugs with a nod and brings her hands to her side to unzip her dress. "Where are Q and the Bratz doll?"

"Probably having sex." The blonde says and motions with her head towards the hallway in the direction of the couple's bedroom.

"We are not having sex!" Quinn shouts, the sound of two pairs of feet making their way into the living room.

"Brittany what are you doing?" Rachel shrieks and covers her eyes.

"I'm changing." She answers easily enough making Santana and Quinn howl out in hysterics at the blonde who is standing in nothing but her bra, underwear and high heels.

"I am so fucking turned on right now." Santana admits through her subsiding laughter and walking to her girlfriend. Brittany giggles as she tears the wrapper off of the top of the champagne bottle.

"Where'd you get that?" Quinn asks, eyes glued to the bottle in her friends hand.

"Garret from Mick's." The dancer explains, leaning over to use her muscles to pop the cork.

"Ugh." Santana groans, the sight of Brittany's arms bulging only adding to her excitement.

"Keep it in your pants Lopez." Quinn slaps the back of her head and brushes by her to walk into the kitchen. "Garret gave me and Rach this." She announces as she reaches above the refrigerator to grab the bottle they were given.

"Nice, some liquor." Brittany grins at the new bottle of rum in her friend's hand.

"Let's get shit crackin'." The other blonde lifts the bottle and bounces in her spot while twisting the cap open.

She grabs a few of the plastic cups Rachel keeps in the bathroom and pours out four generous shots for them. Brittany prepares the champagne, two in coffee mugs and the other two in Rachel's matching West Side Story cups.

"To my bitches and hoes." Santana lifts her glass to her friends. "I seriously can't wait to find out where Quinn wakes up." She cracks up, not even able to finish the entire sentence without laughing, but luckily the other two girl's know what she said and join in with her leaving Quinn to only giggle from the alcohol.

"Let's do dance party!" Rachel yells after they do the shot, her face all screwed up as she tries so hard to not shiver from it burning her throat.

"Dance party!" Brittany jumps in her spot and runs over to the television to put on a music station.

"This is how it starts Q." Santana warns her as she hooks their arms and leads them into the living room. "I hope you're prepared." She says as she glances into her friend's cup. "I should probably get you a refill."

* * *

><p>The sound of the toilet flushing and some stumbling into a wall is what wakes Quinn up. She cracks her eyes open, blinks a few times to adjust to the light and licks her lips that are so dry and taste like alcohol. Her lips curl upside down into a grimace and she shakes her head, the taste of champagne and rum the next morning is not delicious at all. Footsteps seem to be making their way towards her so she lifts her head to find out who the culprit is and her brow furrows.<p>

Rachel walks from the hallway and turns right into the kitchen, opens the refrigerator to grab a water bottle and then slides down from the cabinet to the floor. Quinn blinks a few times to make sure she is seeing what she is seeing and even sits up a little bit, but before she can even focus she hears two pairs of footsteps coming from the hallway. Santana and Brittany emerge from the hallway wearing eyebrow raising outfits, well, lack thereof actually. The couple does the same as Rachel, open the refrigerator door, grab bottles of water and then fall to the floor to join their roommate.

She watches them all stare at each other and make grunting noises she can only assume is their way to say hello, she knows that's how her and Santana communicate during hangovers. As she watches them however, she realizes that she is totally not in her bedroom. She looks around where she is and finally picks up on the fact that actually slept in front of the door, with the cushions from the couch as a make shift bed beneath her. When she moves around something falls to the ground causing a loud bang of metal on wood and she snaps her head in the direction and sees that it's Santana's bat.

"Q?" Brittany is the one to speak first, her voice scratchy and still sleepy and so very hung over. The other two glance over to find their friend lying on two couch cushions, her comforter and a pillow right in front of the door.

"Why do you have my bat?" Santana croaks out, her head tilts to the side while she clutches her water bottle.


	23. Chapter 23

_**So, if you follow me on tumblr, than you already know that this chapter starts off three years and one month later. I decided on this for several reasons. I just don't really want this story to become a tale of every week of their years at college, I want to get into the serious long term part of relationships, especially the characters in here, not saying they weren't serious to begin with because, well, come on it's Brittana! **_

_**Now without anymore distractions, I bring to you, chapter 23.**_

_**(and if anyone wants to ask me more about why I decided to jump ahead, feel free to PM me:))**_

_**read and review:)**_

* * *

><p>[Three years and one month later]<p>

Kurt is walking down the street, messenger bag strap across his chest, heather grey knee length pea coat on and cell phone in hand. He's gotten pretty good with multitasking since his move to the big apple nearly three years ago. Unlike his first few months, he has developed the skill of walking down the crowded city sidewalks and typing out text after text without bumping into people.

He grins at the sound of the beep from his phone and the way it buzzes in his hand alerting him of a new text message. It's Thursday, he knows this already, but just like every Thursday after his second morning class he receives a reminder from at least one of his four ladies about dinner at one of their places. This Thursday the text happens to come from Santana, which he can only assume that she was reminded by Brittany who was reminded by Quinn who was told by Rachel to send out a mass text.

Tonight is an important night for Kurt, well, not just Kurt really but for all of them. Tonight Kurt is finally bringing that boy he met at the coffee place down the block from Brittany and Santana's apartment almost two months ago to dinner. Rachel and Brittany have been hounding him about any and every detail about said boy, but Kurt has refused to divulge anything because he didn't want to jinx it. Quinn and Santana even tried to spy on him one evening when he told them he couldn't meet them at the movies because he had a study group. But when they found him they realized that they should pretty much take Kurt for his word considering they walked in on him and a group of his classmates from FIT practicing their sewing techniques. Quinn had huffed about how totally stale he was for not even lying and sneaking off with the mystery guy, while Santana agreed even going as far as to suggest that perhaps he should have even made up a lie about this study group.

He quickly types out a response to Santana that he remembered about their weekly dinner and that he and his boy will be prompt. Within in seconds he gets a rapid fire set of texts from both Brittany and Rachel asking for at least a picture so that they know what to expect. Instead, he simply chuckles and texts them to be patient and that he is worth the wait.

"Kurt." A familiar voice calls out and the raven haired boy already has a smile on his face before he can see the face the angelic voice belongs to. "Over here." He sees him waving at a small table just outside the coffee shop, two cups set on the counter and a wide grin to match Kurt's.

"Hey." He greets, making his way through the tightly placed tables and chairs.

"I got you this." The dark haired boy beams as he hands over one of the coffee cups. Kurt eyes it carefully taking note of the writing on the side and he grins.

"You know my coffee order." He points out in surprise and the other boy nods and quirks an eyebrow.

"I hope that's not the most important thing I need to know." He jokes making the other boy chuckle and shake his head.

"It's just, it's kind of cute and very 'boyfriend' of you." Kurt says in a soft voice as he lifts his coffee cup as a prop.

"Boyfriend huh, I wasn't aware we calling each other names here." He kids, adjusting in his seat and reaching out to take Kurt's hand in his own.

"Well, we haven't really made it official I guess, huh?" Kurt asks, twisting his lips nervously and watches as the boy holding his hand shakes his head cutely. "Then, Blaine would be my boyfriend?" Blaine chuckles and leans his chin in his hand.

"I would love nothing more than to be your boyfriend Kurt." He winks and slowly lifts his coffee cup to his lips.

On the other side of town Brittany and Santana are walking through the tiny food market by their apartment, the latter pushing a cart as the former reads over a list in her hands. Santana glances around at the shelves wondering what kind of dish her girlfriend is preparing to make and her mouth waters remembering the delicious dinner she'd made two weeks ago. She stops pushing the cart when Brittany comes to a halt and grabs two jars of tomato sauce and inspects them.

"You should probably make sure they are organic." Santana points out, leaning forward on the handle of the cart and sighs, Brittany nods at this information and places one of the jars down. "Quinn is so particular these days." She mutters under her breath, making the blonde chuckle at her statement and reaches behind her to grab the end of the cart to get them moving again.

"Kurt's bringing his boy toy tonight." Brittany announces excitedly, glancing over her shoulder to see Santana's reaction.

"Yeah, I ran into him the other day on my way to work, he told me that we've finally deserved to meet the dude." She replies, standing up straight as they come to Italian bread and she feels which is the softest. "Whatever that means." She shrugs and places the freshest loaf she can find into the cart.

"He told me we better be on our best behavior." The blonde adds, her eyebrows furrowing at the words she just repeated out loud. "Whatever that means." Santana chuckles and nods her head in agreement.

"I guess no booty shorts and sports bras at the dinner table." The Latina whispers into her girlfriend's ear and playfully smacks her ass.

"Hey, I don't do that all the time." Brittany whines through giggles as Santana glances back at her with a quirked eyebrow.

"I wish you would." She winks and moves the cart down the next aisle with Brittany right behind her.

"Santana?" A voice comes from ahead of them and when they look up there is a dark haired girl standing by the freezers of the frozen section. Santana smiles politely, noticing the girl that has recognized her is a classmate of hers from school, only to also realize that she does not at all know her name.

"Hey ..." The Latina waves awkwardly, keeping one hand on the cart as she steers a little closer to her.

"Trish." The other girl reminds her and all Santana can do it nod and continue smiling. "I didn't know you lived around here." Trish comments with a tilt of her head. Brittany stands beside her girlfriend just watching the exchange with a kind smile on her face. Santana rarely talked about friends from school, she assumed she went to classes and came home without so much as opening her mouth to anyone except the teacher.

"Yeah, we live right up the block." Santana offers up, motioning to the blonde beside her and Trish regards Brittany with a slight nod and a smaller smile. "Britt," She places a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder and squeezes affectionately. "This is Trish, she's in my Political Science class, Human Studies class and, well pretty much every class." The classmates chuckle.

"Oh, it's nice to meet you." Brittany tells the other girl, extending her hand to her.

"Trish, this is my girlfriend Brittany." The shorter girl introduces the two, proudly smiling over in Brittany's direction at the term girlfriend. She hardly gets the chance to really introduce Brittany to anyone considering everyone she considers a friend already knows her.

"Hello." Trish greets in return, shakes Brittany's hand and looks back over at Santana.

"So you live over here too?" The blonde questions, bringing her hand back to her side and hooking her other arm through Santana's. The other dark haired girl nods and points over her shoulder with her thumb.

"I live in an apartment complex with two roommates two blocks that way." She motions in the opposite direction of their place and they nod in understanding.

"That's cool." Santana says, not quite sure what the right response to random details is supposed to be. "Did you start on that project yet for Rush's class?" She quickly changes the subject to school because that's all she really knows about the other girl, that she goes to school.

"Ugh, I've been gathering articles if that constitutes starting. I have like a dozen printed out all over my room." Trish groans, rolling her eyes at herself as she grips the basket in her hand.

"We only need to use three." The Latina points out in confusion.

"Yeah, well, I'm indecisive." The other girl laughs with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I've already chosen my articles, if you need help, let me know." Santana offers her, getting a proud squeeze on her arm from Brittany.

"Thanks a lot Santana." Trish beams at the tan skinned girl.

"Well, we gotta go." Santana says apologetically and motions towards their nearly full shopping cart.

"Oh, yeah, absolutely." Trish moves aside, allowing the couple to pass her by. "Sorry for keeping you."

"It's okay, we're just having dinner with friends at our place." Brittany waves her off kindly.

"It's good to see you outside of class Santana." The dark haired girl smiles at the Latina. "You're not as intimidating in the real world as I thought you'd be." And with a wink over her shoulder, Trish is gone leaving the couple standing still in the middle of the aisle with confusion written all over their faces.

"What was _that_?" Brittany inquires, her brow furrowed and her eyes suspiciously eyeing the end of the aisle where the other girl had just vanished."Was she, _flirting_ with you?" The blonde turns back to her girlfriend who has the same expression on her face and shrugs her shoulders.

"I have no fucking idea what the hell _that_ was." The Latina scoffs, rolls her eyes and grabs her girlfriend's hand. "If she was, talk about having absolutely no tact." She squeezes Brittany's hand, laces their fingers and kisses the back of the blonde's sweetly. "She's shit out of luck though, I'm totes taken." She winks at her girl and pulls her along at her side down the aisle to finish up their shopping.

A few blocks away from them Rachel and Quinn are sitting in their living room flipping through the channels idly. Quinn has her head resting on Rachel's shoulder, playing with a lock of hair as she stares at the television screen. They are pretty much just waiting for it to be time to head over to their friend's apartment because they have been denied early access to their place. Brittany has this weird thing that she doesn't like to start cooking while they are there, it's too much pressure or something.

"What kind of wine did they say to pick up?" Quinn asks, her voice cracks from not using it for a while.

"Red." The brunette replies through a yawn.

"You tired babe?" The blonde questions, lifting her head up to catch her girlfriend at the end of her yawn. Rachel nods, doing her best to cover her mouth with a fist until she can finally close her mouth again.

"I'm exhausted. I was up so late last night trying to figure out how to put this song together for one of my classes." She explains, motioning towards the sheet music that is stacked perfectly on the coffee table in front of them. "My teacher suggested a different key or a different format but, I don't know. I haven't done a mash up of any kind since high school." Quinn nods, remembering Mr. Schu's affinity for mashing up all kinds of songs and then she perks up with that memory.

"Why don't you e-mail Mr. Schu, I'm sure he could help." The blonde suggests and watches a small smile come to her girlfriend's lips.

"I haven't thought about that." Rachel tilts her head to the side to grin at Quinn. "That's a really good idea Quinn." She kisses the blonde's forehead getting a sigh of content from the both of them.

"I'm full of good ideas." She whispers back and brings her lifts her head up to press her lips to Rachel's for a soft kiss. "In fact, I'm having another one right now." She mumbles into the kiss and brings her hand up to the brunette's cheek.

"Oh, is that so?" The diva giggles, leaning more into the kiss to deepen it, her hand reaching to rest on the blonde's hip.

"Mhmm." Quinn hums, nodding her head as she pushes forward to lower Rachel's body down onto the couch.

"Ahh." The shorter girl yelps as her back falls back to hit the cushions, a burst of giggles popping from her mouth as her hands come up to get lost in short blonde hair. "Do we have time?" She asks, turning her head, giving Quinn better access to her neck where she begins to trail open mouthed kisses over the flesh.

"Who cares?" The blonde breathes out, pushing her hand underneath her girlfriend's shirt and dips her fingers underneath the fabric of her bra.

"Mmm." Rachel moans, closing her eyes, her hand finding the spot between Quinn's shoulder blades to press her lips firmly against her chest. "What about Kurt?"

"He's meeting us there." She informs her, not once letting her lips leave Rachel's skin.

"What…"

"No more talking Rach." She cuts her off, stopping her from saying another word by crashing their lips together. "Take your clothes off." The blonde demands as she sits up and pulls her own top over her head.

"So Quinn is the short haired blonde." Blaine says, his eyes fixed on a picture Kurt is showing him from his phone. "And she is with Rachel the brunette." He glances up to get an approving nod from his boyfriend. "And then there's Brittany," He smirks, pointing at the other blonde in the photo. "The long legged dancer who is dating that saucy girl right here." He motions with his finger towards Santana who is sitting on the floor between Brittany's legs in the picture. "Santana, right?" Kurt beams at him and claps quickly at the fact that he has gotten everything right.

"Very good young sir." He pats Blaine on the back, smoothing it out with the palm of his hand as he leans in to peck the other boy's cheek quickly.

"Well, I don't want to go in there completely blind. Besides, I've learned it's good to know at least a little something about your significant other's best friend's before meeting them." He explains carefully with a glint in his eye.

"So, you've had this, meet the best friend's dinner before?" Kurt nervously asks, suddenly feeling not so very special which only makes him feel awful because he shouldn't be jealous of boyfriends past.

"Actually," Blaine drawls out, shaking his head from side to side. "I've never really cared about someone enough to care about meeting their friends." He admits, his lips twisting as he anxiously waits for a response from Kurt.

"Oh." Kurt breathes out curiously, his head tilts to the side clearly waiting for some more.

"It's just, well, if I'm being honest, it's kind of what ruined most of my previous relationships." He clarifies, getting an understanding nod from the boy beside him. "I was too much about the relationship and lived in a bubble, kind of cutting off my own friends too." He shrugs his shoulders and squeezes Kurt's hand that is in his own. "And as much as relationships are about you and the other person, it's also about the people in both of their lives. If I can't get the approval of your friends, the people who know you the best, then I probably don't deserve it, ya know?" Kurt can't fight the grin that comes to his face and he blushes. "I really care about you Kurt, and I want your friends to know that as much as I want you to know that. Hopefully I can win them over."

"Trust me, you already have." He assures the dark haired boy, pressing another chaste kiss to his cheek as he tugs him up the block towards Santana and Brittany's apartment.

"So, if you were stuck on a dessert island and could only have one of the four ladies in your life to be with you, who would it be?" Blaine questions, wriggling his eyebrows cutely, making Kurt chuckle and toss his head back in thought.

"I don't know, that's a difficult one." He muses, tilting his head from side to side as he mulls over the question. "I mean, Rachel would definitely be fun because we would spend our time on the island most likely re-enacting scenes from our favorite musicals and plays." He grins widely at his boyfriend. "Lots of singing and dancing."

"That sounds like a nice way to spend your time in a desolate place." Blaine reasons with a nod.

"But," Kurt says slowly. "Quinn would also be fun, because I'd have someone to have deep philosophical conversations. Speak of literature and such." He reasons. "She's really smart, and we'd also dance and sing." Blaine chuckles, watching as Kurt processes the possibilities of which girl would be the most useful.

"But…" Blaine interrupts, just waiting for the next girl and reasons why she'd be a bit better.

"But," Kurt laughs out. "Brittany, she's exciting and goofy and she could dance to the music in her head. I could watch her dance all day every day." He smiles at the image of his best friend dancing around on an island. "Plus, her imagination is incredible and she has the best sense of humor. One Halloween, she talked Santana into dressing up as Rachel and she dressed up as Quinn. It was pretty hilarious because it was how they looked in high school." He laughs loudly, needing to cover his mouth after getting a few strange looks from the other pedestrians. "Hmm, we'd probably have to hunt for food huh?"

"Yeah, there are no Starbuck's on this island." Blaine jokes.

"Well, then Santana." He finally decides on and gets an inquisitive stare from his boyfriend.

"Okay, I'll bite. Why Santana?"

"Easy, Rachel is a vegan so all we'd be eating is coconuts and sand because I sure as hell am not going to be chasing some wild beast to eat." He points out. "Quinn eats organic, because she can't do the vegan thing but wants to eat as healthy as her girlfriend." He rolls his eyes. "Plus, I think from hanging out with Santana for too many years has rubbed off on her."

"And Brittany?"

"She would never kill an animal." Kurt explains almost in horror at simply imaging the blonde's reaction if asked to murder a cute little pig for some food.

"Is she a vegetarian?" Blaine inquires.

"No."

"Does she know where bacon comes from?" He tilts his head.

"Honestly, I don't think so. But, that's what's great about her. She lives in her own world sometimes, but that's what makes Brittany, Brittany." He smiles at this fact.

"So wait, then why Santana? Just because she would hunt for food?" Blaine asks with surprise.

"I'm also taking into consideration that there may be some scary tribes on this island and she is feisty." Kurt tells him. "I once saw her get into a fight one time at a bar because some girl threw a drink on Brittany. Somehow she lost her shirt and, well, for a tiny girl she looked as jacked as an American Gladiator. Though it could have had something to do with the Jager bombs she had been doing all night." Blaine can't help but crack up at Kurt's description of Santana with 'beer balls', especially since all of the pictures he's seen of her, the girl looks pretty small. "Although, Brittany is pretty buff too." He adds defeated. "Oh, here we are." He interrupts himself, stopping in front of two glass doors and pointing upwards.

Santana is helping Brittany in the kitchen, aprons on and all, singing and laughing at one another. The blonde stirs the sauce, taking a little bit on the spoon and holds it out for her girlfriend to taste. Santana smiles as she licks her lips and gives Brittany a nod of approval.

"Baby, check on the bread." Brittany says, pointing towards the oven and watches as the Latina stuffs her hand into an oven mitt.

"Few more minutes." She sighs out and slowly closes the door to the oven once again. "Are those vegan?" Santana asks, crinkling her nose at the 'meatballs' she sees in the pot of sauce Brittany is stirring.

"They're turkey meatballs." The blonde tells her, glancing up in time to see that 'yucky' look on her girlfriend's face. "I have regular sauce for Rach." She informs her matter of factly, pointing towards a tiny pot behind the big one that is simmering with that organic tomato sauce they'd bought early.

As they move around the kitchen the buzzer by the door goes off and Santana walks quickly over to it. She presses the button to the speaker to find out that it's Kurt and his 'man friend', as she refers to him as, and she lets them up by pressing the other button to open the door downstairs.

"Kurt and he-who-has-yet-to-be-seen are here." Santana tells her girlfriend, untying the apron from around her waist and pulls it over her head. "I'm starting to think that this guy does not exist." She muses, hanging the apron from her chair at the table getting a giggle out of her girlfriend. "I'm serious B, I mean, they've been seeing each other for almost two months or whatever." Her shoulders shrug and she steps behind the dancer, wrapping her arms loosely around her. "And we have yet to meet him and Kurt hasn't shown us one picture of the guy." She rests her chin on Brittany's shoulder, watching her stir the pasta with one hand and the sauce with the other.

"Maybe he's imaginary." Brittany says, getting a smirk from Santana. "He's probably just nervous, his last relationship was kind of a disaster." She reminds the other girl and sets the two spoons onto the counter.

"True." The Latina concurs, loosening her arms so that the blonde can spin around to face her. "He _was_ kind of a douche cock."

"I'm sure it didn't help that you told him that as soon as you met him." Brittany laughs, letting her arms come up around Santana's neck.

"Hey, I just call em like I see em." She defends, leaning back a little bit to shoot her girl an innocent smile.

Before Brittany can come back with some sort of remark there's a knock at the door, breaking them from their smiling contest. The blonde cheers that their guests have finally officially arrived and pulls the Latina along with her to let them in. When they open the door they are greeted by Kurt and the guy he has been secretly not so secretly dating for over two months. Brittany squeals and jumps into the poor guys arms, embracing him as though she's known him forever.

"Well sunshine, I think she likes him." Santana says to Kurt as she leans in the door way and watches her girlfriend fawn all over their new guest like a puppy.

"You must be Brittany." Blaine chuckles when Brittany finally removes herself from him, and her eyes widen in surprise.

"How do you know my name?" She asks bewildered and Blaine sends Kurt a look of confusion.

"Ahem, Britt, this is Blaine." He steps in and motions his hand between the two of them. "Blaine meet Britt." The two shake hands and Brittany finally moves back inside to usher the boys into their apartment.

"And that makes you Santana." The dark haired boy reasons, pointing towards the Latina who takes Kurt's coat and hangs it up for him.

"And that makes you very good at the process of elimination." Santana answers, flipping her hair from her shoulder before settling her hands on her hips.

"You were right, she is feisty." Blaine turns to Kurt and gets a throaty chuckle from the Latina.

"That's how we do it in Lima Heights." She spits back as she follows Brittany back into the kitchen.

"Babe, you haven't lived in Lima Heights in a while. I don't think that still works." Brittany reminds her, turning off the stove stop and then pulling out the garlic bread Santana had made.

"It always works." She says with a smirk, playfully slapping the blonde's ass as she moves to grab a wine key from the drawer. "We have some red wine, Quinn and Rachel are bringing over more, but this will do for now." She motions to the three bottles on the counter top and takes one of them, preparing to open it. "Would you guys like a glass?"

"That would be great." Blaine replies, taking a seat at the table along with Kurt who nods to the question.

"Hun?" The Latina bumps her hip gently into the blonde's.

"Yes please." Brittany grins as she pokes Santana in her side.

"You guys are so much cuter than Kurt said." The new comer announces, leaning his chin into his hands and staring at the girls in awe.

"Ugh, don't let Rachel and Quinn hear you say that." Kurt mutters as he takes the offered glass of wine from Santana, who nods along with his words. "Then Rachel will need a list of the reasons why they are cuter than she and Quinn and then Quinn will drink like, a whole bottle of wine to herself and then start crying." He rambles in one breath getting a raised eyebrow from the rest of the room.

"Is that why she does that?" Brittany asks caught off guard as she pours the pot of pasta into the strainer.

"Why does she start crying?" The new boy carefully questions.

"Because," Kurt takes in a deep breath. "Rachel starts talking a mile a minute, then Quinn starts to feel like Rachel isn't happy. Then Rachel tries to explain to Quinn that she is only trying to point out that they are just as cute, which is when Quinn starts to cry because she thinks they are totally cute." He says in one breath once again and when he catches some air he takes a big gulp from his glass.

"Whatever." Santana shrugs, hands Blaine his glass, Brittany hers and then lifts her own glass to her lips for a tiny sip. "I'm totally over it already." She drapes her arm over Brittany's shoulders and pulls her close. "We are so fucking cute boo." She tells her girl and leans in to press her lips to the blonde's cheek.

Another buzz sounding through the apartment getting the foursomes attention and Santana walks her way over to the intercom by the door. Of course, it's the other couple and she buzzes them in before rejoining the other's back in the kitchen. She helps Brittany in moving the group of them into the living room so that the blonde can set the kitchen the rest of the table up.

"You sure you don't want any help?" Blaine asks when he reaches the couch, waiting for a reply from the blonde before he takes a seat beside Kurt.

"Ugh, don't even bother." Santana waves his offer away with her hand and sips her wine. "She never lets anyone help her." She shakes her head from side to side and smirks, glancing over her shoulder to watch Brittany carry a light blue bowl filled with pasta to the table.

"Santana." Brittany calls out, not even looking over to her girlfriend because she knows she heard her. Santana turns back to the guys and raises her eyebrows and smiles.

"Except me." She chuckles and sets her wine glass down on the table before heading back into the kitchen to help her girlfriend.

"You'd never guess that they are only twenty-one." Blaine says quietly, shaking his head in disbelief. "I don't even think my parents are this domestic and definitely not as sweet to one another as those two." Kurt nods along while sipping his wine and crossing his legs.

"They're high school sweethearts." Kurt informs the other boy, placing his hand onto Blaine's thigh.

"Wow, and they're still together. That's impressive." The dark haired boy mainly says to himself, leaning forward to grab his glass.

"Yeah, still together and just as grossly in love as ever." Kurt hums in response, glancing over his shoulder to catch the couple in the kitchen in a sweet kiss.

Kurt gets up when there's a knock at the door, letting Quinn and Rachel in from the hallway. They greet one another as though they haven't seen each other in ages and he helps them with their coats, hanging them on the coat rack against the wall along with the rest of the group's outerwear. Kurt nearly bounces over to Blaine who is standing and waiting for introductions, the girl's close behind.

"Blaine, I'd like you to meet Rachel," He motions towards the brunette. "And Quinn." He squeezes the blonde's arm gently. "Guys this is Blaine, my boyfriend." Both Quinn and Rachel reach out to shake Blaine's hand, each telling the boy how nice it is to finally meet him.

"Boyfriend, huh?" Santana comes out of nowhere, her wine glass refilled in one hand and Brittany, apronless, in her other hand. "We didn't get that intro Porcelain." She raises an eyebrow to her male friend and he blushes a tint of pink.

"Well, it's only been official today." He informs his gal pals, hooking his arm through Blaine's.

"Oh, so we have something to celebrate." Brittany cheers, resting her head against the side of Santana's, finally having a moment to enjoy her glass of wine.

"Before we forget," Quinn interrupts and holds out the bottle of wine she and Rachel brought to her friends. "Or before I drink it all." She jokes with a wink to Santana who chuckles, taking the bottle from the blonde.

"Just in case you _do_ plan on drinking it all, how about we get some food in you first." Brittany chimes in, steps to the side and motions for the group to move this party into the kitchen.

"That's probably a good idea." Rachel comments with a grin, playfully elbowing her girlfriend in the side as they follow the boys and Santana and Brittany to the dinner table.

"Someone's got jokes tonight." Quinn laughs, tucking some hair behind the brunette's ear.

When they sit down Brittany tells everyone to dig in and of course is sure to let everyone know that Santana helped. Rachel and Blaine hit it off right away, talking Broadway and musical's galore while Kurt smiles on watching and every now and again joining in on the conversation. Quinn finds herself intrigued with Blaine's similar stories of bullying in high school that Kurt had, and she even vaguely shares her story about her relationship with her mother.

They are all hysterically laughing as Santana shares a story about her and Quinn at work from the other while she is opening the third bottle of wine. Blaine admits he also has had work as a waiter and how awful it was, something he will never put himself through again. Brittany shares a story from work, she's been teaching dance to five year olds since the summer going into sophomore year, and each class is just as funny as the last.

"You're so lucky that your first job is something that you love to do." Blaine comments, referring to Brittany's dance studio job. "I think that's one of the biggest problems today." He says, glancing down at his almost empty wine glass. "Everyone is so worried about making money that they wind up being stuck in a job they despise." He sips the rest of his drink and nods when Quinn lifts up the bottle to offer another refill.

"Well, yeah, after college a lot of people settle. I'll give you that." Santana leans forward, resting one of her forearms onto the kitchen table, her finger tracing the rim of her glass. "But when you're young, without a degree, you just have to suck it up and do what you can." She watches her words mull around his mind and it literally takes a second for him to nod in agreement.

"Absolutely, I wasn't insinuating people in college." He tries to explain, leans back into his chair and clears his throat. "I was simply saying that it's kind of sad that most of the people we are in school with now will wind up taking jobs just because of the paycheck. I would like to think that the world isn't as greedy as it seems." He clarifies, getting an understanding nod from the Latina as well as the rest of the group.

"Brittany was very, very lucky." Rachel announces, her arm resting on the back of Quinn's chair and her fingers twirling her girlfriend's short locks.

"So are you." Brittany points out, shifting in her seat and brings her hand down to Santana's thigh, drawing lazy circles against the fabric of her pants. "Rachel here got a paying internship as a vocal coach." She shares, looking from her brunette buddy and the new boy at the table.

"Wow, that's impressive." Blaine lets out sincerely and smiles over at Kurt who nods in the truth of this statement.

"I'm more of a teacher's assistant." Rachel says, getting a kiss on her shoulder from Quinn.

"Rachel Berry modest, I never thought I'd see the day." The blonde whispers, but the rest of the group hears her anyway. "She has her own students, she's just being polite."

"So is that what you want to do? Teach?" Blaine inquires turning his attention back to the diva.

"Umm," Rachel nervously shifts in her seat but then slowly starts to shake her head.

"Berry here has dreams of being a Broadway star." Santana interrupts, raising her glass and a perfect eyebrow in the brunette's direction. "If anyone can, she can." She says and then her brow furrows as she realizes she's just given Rachel a compliment.

"Is she drunk?" Quinn chuckles, looking over in Brittany's direction who also laughs.

"I think I might be." The Latina admits, placing her glass down onto the table to take a small time out.

"Oh boy, that only means it's just a matter of time before she starts trying to take Brittany's top off." Kurt groans, his head swaying from side to side until resting comfortably onto Blaine's shoulder.

"Please, can I tell you that I thought that my eyeballs would be saved from that when they moved out." Quinn whines, her and Rachel sharing a quick glance and an annoyed giggle.

"And alcohol does not even need to be in the equation." Rachel chimes in.

"But it does speed up the process." Kurt adds looking at Blaine when he speaks.

"Ain't that the truth." The short brunette agrees with a nod, playing with her wine glass. "I remember one time at Mick's…"

"_One_ time?" Quinn shouts incredulously, garnering hearty laughs from both Rachel and Kurt and light giggles from the couple in question.

"Okay, okay…" The brunette shakes her head and waves her hand as though to erase her previous words. "_Whenever_ we go to this bar Mick's, these two are off against the wall making out like two teenagers at a house party."

"Well if we didn't, then who would hold up the wall?" Santana bites back with friendly sarcasm.

"_Or_ they are dry humping in the bathroom," Quinn adds with a quirked eyebrow. "Not even in a stall, right on the counter." Everyone gets a laugh out of that one and Blaine shoots the couple an amused but questioning stare.

"Hey, in our defense _that_ was only one time." Brittany explains, clinking her glass to Santana's that is still on the table.

"Yeah," Santana laughs out. "Getting caught!" She yells and holds her hand up for a high five from Brittany which is immediately given.

"I can't help it." Brittany husks into her girlfriend's ear, kissing the spot right below on her neck quickly. "You're so sexy." She breathes out into Santana's ear, sending a shiver through the Latina's body and the blonde smirks at the affect she has on her girlfriend.

"Oh God, we should probably get going before they start fucking on the table." Quinn informs the rest of the table and Rachel can only agree with her girlfriend.

"Let us help you clean up." Blaine offers, pushing himself up from his seat, Kurt following his lead and both of them reach to grab some dishes from the table.

"Leave it." Santana waves them off, fighting the grin forming on her face as Brittany continues to whisper dirty things into her ear. "I'll get it." She assures them with another wave for them to put everything back down to the table and she turns her face towards Brittany's and kisses her lips quickly. "Let's show them out B." She tells her girlfriend, who presses their lips together once more and then pulls her out of her seat bringing them both to the door.

"Thank you so much for having me over." Blaine says to the two girl's standing side by side with their arms around each other. "It's so nice to finally meet the four of you." He looks at each girl individually and they all nod and smile in return.

"It was our pleasure." Brittany is the first to speak up, stepping towards the dark haired boy and kisses him on the cheek. "I hope this means we'll be seeing more of you." She winks at Kurt as she fixes the collar on Blaine's coat.

"I hope so too." He replies, glancing over his shoulder at Kurt who can only smile back bashfully.

"Are you coming back with us?" Rachel asks while buttoning up her pea coat.

"Actually, I'm going to Blaine's tonight." Kurt informs his roommates and both Rachel and Quinn share quirked eyebrows.

"Ooh, second night in a row." Quinn sing songs, throwing her bag over.

"Well, Blaine doesn't have roommates who complain about someone breathing too loudly." Kurt interjects defensively, staring pointedly at Rachel whose jaw drops.

"You should know as a singer that I have a keen sense of hearing." She crosses her arms over her chest and lightly stomps her foot. "And you do breathe rather hard when you're watching Project Runway."

"The tension gives me anxiety." Kurt huffs, bringing his hand to his chest.

"Okay girl's, that's enough." Quinn steps between the two diva's, wrapping her arm around Rachel and leads her towards the open door. "Thank your parents for dinner kids." She laughs, looking over her shoulder to send a wink to her friends as she drags her girlfriend into the hall.

"Bye guys." Kurt kisses the both of them on the cheek and even waves as he leads Blaine out, closing the door behind them.

"I like him." Brittany muses, turning around to head back into the kitchen with Santana right behind her. "He seems sweet and really into Kurt." She looks over her shoulder to gauge Santana's thoughts through her facial expression and sees an agreeable nod in response.

"Yeah, it's nice to see that Kurt has finally found a normal guy in this city." The Latina cringes at the memories of the other gentlemen callers their friend has had over the years. "Remember the guy with the piercing?" She shivers as she carries the now empty wine glasses over to the sink and turns on the faucet. Brittany chuckles, shakes her head and begins packing up the leftovers into the Tupperware Mrs. Lopez had bought them on her last visit.

"Ew, remember the guy from Junior year?" The blonde asks in a high pitched voice and the shorter girl pauses, looks up for a moment to recall said guy.

"Ew." She scoffs, her nose crinkling picturing that guy in her mind. "Is that the guy that didn't clean up after himself?" She turns her head to see Brittany nodding, confirming her statement. "He was super gross."

"At least that only lasted like, two weeks." Brittany points out and the both of them hum in agreement. "Let's just put the rest of the dishes in the dish washer." She suggests, walking up beside Santana and pulls down the washer door already loading it up.

"Guess we need to pick up some more soap." The Latina says as she shakes the nearly empty box.

"I'll put it on the list." The dancer tells her, skipping over towards the refrigerator where they have one of those magnetic notepads hanging on the front and she jots down dishwasher soap right under 'Brittany's face wash' in Santana's hand writing. "I get my check tomorrow."

"Oh good, I have to go to the bank anyway." Santana says, remembering she has yet to deposit any money this week. She glances over at the blonde as she finishes rinsing out the last wine glass. "Want me to cash it for you babe?"

"Actually," Brittany grins, places the pen back into its drawer and slowly struts over to her girlfriend. "I have off tomorrow." She quirks an eyebrow, grabs Santana's hand and spins her around into her, reaching behind the Latina to shut the water off. "I was thinking," She presses her lips to Santana's. "We could go out for breakfast." She smiles into another kiss as Santana hums. "We haven't done that in a while." She lifts the shorter girl's arms up and wraps them around her own neck then slowly lets her fingers trace down her sides, resting her hands at her hips.

"You know what else we haven't done in a while." Santana whispers, tilts her head to the side and kisses Brittany harder than their previous few pecks.

"We did that this morning." Brittany sighs out breathlessly when Santana pulls back and they both grin at one another. "_And_ before I started making dinner." The Latina giggles and blushes slightly. "_Oh_." Brittany says slowly, finally getting what Santana is trying to say without saying it. "You wanna?" She asks, a huge smirk on her face and she scrunches her nose in that cute way that always makes Santana's knees weak. The shorter girl bites on her lower lip and nods slowly, playing with the back of Brittany's hair by her neck. "Well, what if I told you I've been ready for this all night?" The blonde whispers into her ear, pulling back to watch realization cross over her girlfriend's face.

"You mean?" Santana lets out quietly, her eyes dart down between their bodies and a tiny smile forms at the corner of her lips.

"Mhmm." Brittany grabs one of Santana's hands and lowers it down between them, bringing a tanned hand to cup the slight bulge in the front of her pants.

"_Hmph._" The dark haired girl groans through tightly closed lips. "I so want to be on top." She demands, quickly lifting her head to crash their lips together again.

"Mmm." The blonde finds it hard not to smile, even though all she wants to do is be able to taste Santana's tongue on her own. So in frustration, she lowers her hands to the outside of her girlfriend's thighs and squeezes hard, receiving a squeak in response. "I've been thinking about this all night." She admits between kisses, her hands moving to the button and fly of the other girl's jeans.

"Pick me up." Santana begs into the blonde's mouth, her legs rubbing up and down the dancer's. Brittany doesn't need to told twice and one swift motion she bends her knees and sets her hands under Santana's thighs and lifts her up. "_God_, you're so strong." She moans, moving her lips from Brittany's and down the sides of her neck while wrapping her legs around the blonde's waist.

"Bed?" The blonde questions through her panting, hands gripping and squeezing at her girlfriend's wonderfully shaped ass. "Couch?" She dips her head to find those luscious lips once again.

"Anywhere." Santana whispers into her mouth.

Brittany grunts as she readjusts Santana in her arms, groaning at the feeling of her girlfriend grinding her hips down into her own. She turns out of the kitchen, not even bothering to shut the lights off and makes a left into the hallway towards their bedroom. She bumps into a few walls on the way, but it does not deter her from reaching her destination. The blonde spins around so that her back pushes their bedroom door open and she keeps walking backwards until she feels the bed hit the back of her knees.

Slowly, she sits herself down and Santana shifts in her lap when she feels them hit the bed. Her knees go to the side of Brittany's hips and she immediately lifts her top over her head and motions for Brittany to remove her bra. Once off, pale hands come to a tanned chest, manipulating flesh with her fingers and palms. Her lips soon find a hardened nipple and she sucks on it, flicking it with the tip of her tongue while her hand massages the other one.

"Off." Santana grunts, her hands desperate to rid Brittany of the shirt she still has on.

They waste no time in removing the rest of their clothing, Santana's jeans and panties tossed somewhere to their bedroom floor and she stands there at the side of the bed completely naked impatiently waiting for Brittany to do the same. The blonde stands before her and torturously lowers her jeans making the bulge in her panties look even bigger than it had felt in the kitchen before. She smirks as she watches Santana's reaction as she steps out of her jeans and tucks her thumbs into her purple laced underwear.

"Sit down." The Latina tells her, mouth hanging open and her chest heaving. Brittany grins and does as she is told once again, she loves it when Santana tells her what to do, especially sexually. So she sits down on the edge of the bed, hands at her sides leaning on the mattress and she watches her girlfriend pull her nightstand drawer open and pull something out. "We definitely don't need a lot." She says in a low, husky voice as she drops to her knees and pours some lube into her hand. "I'm so wet right now."

Brittany groans with her lower lips between her lips, her legs twitch as she watches Santana's hand work the shaft of their strap on with lube and she runs her fingers quickly through her long blonde hair. The Latina smirks and looks up through her eyelashes at how anxious the dancer is, the way her hips are moving, the way her chest is moving up and down faster than normal, and it only turns her on more.

When she can't take it anymore herself, Santana stands up once again and grips Brittany's neck. Lifting up one leg to the bed she situates herself onto her lap, hovering just above the tip of the strap on that the blonde is gripping with her fingers to guide it right inside of her. She lowers slowly, humming out in anticipation when she feels the tip at her entrance and blue eyes widen in excitement.

"You like watching me ride you like this?" Santana smirks, finally filling herself with the length of the sex toy strapped to her girlfriend. Her jaw quivers as she sits flush against Brittany's lap with the entire strap on buried inside of her.

"Y…yes." Brittany stutters, her eyes flickering from Santana's and down to where the Latina is being penetrated. She gulps when Santana flicks her head from side to side, making her long dark hair sway along with her motions. "Fuck." She breathes out, her hands moving from Santana's hips and to the small of her back.

"Lay back." She pushes at Brittany's shoulders, barely having to use much force seeing as the blonde falls right to her back, her hands sliding from Santana's back and to her thighs. "_Hmph_, you know what I want you to do tonight?" Santana asks seductively, tracing her girlfriend's lips with her index finger as she moves her hips up and down faster and harder. Brittany shakes her head, small sounds of arousal escape her lips, her eyes not knowing where to watch. The Latina lowers her upper body, hovering just over the blonde's and she brings her lips right up to her ear and whispers.


	24. Chapter 24

_**happy update:)**_

_**let me know your feelings, thoughts, and deep, dark secrets;) oh, and review :)**_

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><p>"So, we're going out for Kurt's birthday Friday night." Brittany informs her girlfriend, slapping her thigh gently to get her attention away from the television. Santana nods her head, flickers eyes over to the blonde as she carefully sips her coffee before she leans forward to set it down onto the table.<p>

"Friday?" She arches an eyebrow and waits for a nod from the girl beside her.

"Yeah." Brittany replies, adding that nod in to give Santana that visual confirmation, and pulls her feet onto the couch and sits on them. "Why?" The blonde asks, curious as to why her girlfriend seems to be a little upset about this information.

"Well, I've got study group Friday." Santana reminds her, getting a huff and her tongue pokes out at disapproval. "Stop," She chuckles and playfully pushes Brittany's face away with the palm of her hand. "You _know_ I have to go to those." She whines, hating the fact that her teacher apparently despises her life and seemingly has the desire to make Santana's life hell with a 'B' minus here and a 'C' plus there.

"But you can't miss Kurt's birthday." Brittany says, knowing that missing their friend's twenty second birthday is the furthest thing from her mind.

"Britt," She sighs and turns her body to face her girlfriend. "I can just go when I get out." She smiles and shrugs her shoulders. "I'll be a little late, but, I'm still gonna go." Santana laughs out in amusement.

"I know, but, the drinks before are always the funnest part." The blonde whines, pouts her lips and bats her eyelashes at the dark haired girl.

"How's this," Santana quirks an eyebrow and grabs Brittany's hand, intertwining their fingers. "I'll just leave early." The grin at each other, Santana sticks her tongue out and Brittany laughs. The couple, however, is startled from their conversation and relaxation when the door to their apartment flies open and slams closed.

"Oh my God!" "Quinn sighs loudly in frustration, throwing her bag onto the small table against the wall before she pulls her jacket off. "I can't!" She adds in a huff, fighting with the hook she is trying to place her coat on. Santana's eyebrows knit, one slightly raised and her eyes widen at the sight of her friend.

"Remind me to get that key back." She murmurs into her girlfriend's ear causing the dancer to stifle a laugh.

"Uh," Brittany starts, turning her attention back to the flustered blonde who's just barged into their home. "Hey Q." She feels Santana shift beside her, adjusting her position on the couch to keep her eyes on her frantic friend. "Whatcha doin?" She cautiously asks, and the short haired blonde finally gives up on hanging up her coat and puts it onto the table beside her bag.

"Yeah," Santana chimes in, glancing briefly over at Brittany. "What the hell are you doing?" Quinn stomps, huffs some more and spins around to face her friends who are staring at her as though she's gone mad.

"Drink." Quinn says, getting even more perplexed expressions in response. "I need a drink." She nods to herself and then heads towards the kitchen, pulling the freezer door open and grabs the bottle of vodka they keep stashed there. The banging of cabinets and clanging of glasses and ice give the couple a few minutes to come up with a few possible reasons as to this current state that is crazy Quinn.

"Is it something with school?" Brittany asks Santana in a hushed voice, but the Latina furrows her brow and shakes her head.

"Nah, bad grades or a big test wouldn't push her this far." She reasons, getting a nod from the blonde her gnaws on her bottom lip. "Her mother?"

"Shh," Brittany shushes her girlfriend, glancing over her shoulder quickly to make sure Quinn is preoccupied with making her drink. "Definitely not a Judy issue." She gathers, watching from a far as Quinn cleans up the spilled bit of vodka from their counter top. "Maybe it's…" But before the blonde dancer can even come up with another idea as to why Quinn is making herself a vodka martini on the rocks, extra dirty, the girl in question re-enters the room.

"Ya know," She starts, sips her drink and casually strides across the couples living room floor between the couch and the television set. "I just…" She chuckles, shakes her head and sits down on the ground and rests her glass onto the coffee table. "I'm fine with Rachel's parents visiting, really," She raises her hands in emphasis. "Really, really fine." Brittany and Santana share a quick look before returning their attention to their friend in need.

"Okay." Santana drawls out, giving the blonde an opportunity to gather herself.

"But," Quinn snaps her head up to the couple, once again surprising them as they jump in their spots on the couch when she slams her hands onto the wooden coffee table. "If I hear one more show tune," She raises one finger. "Or that I _should really think about what I'm putting into my body _when I eat _one _potato chip," She mimics one of the Berry's voices somewhere in there, Brittany can't really seem to figure which one though. "Or get one more tutorial on how to needle point or fashion a…"

"What the mother is needle pointing?" Santana interrupts, nose crinkled and eyebrows scrunched together at this foreign term.

"My fucking thoughts exactly." Quinn lets out in exasperation, and she grasps her drink, slowly lifting it to her waiting lips. She takes a few long sips from her beverage before setting it back onto the coffee table. "Please," She whimpers as she leans back and falls to the ground completely. "Let me stay."

"For, like," Santana's eyes flicker to Brittany, hesitant to even start any kind of conversation with her unstable friend. "A few hours?"

"The night?" Brittany chimes in, sitting up straighter in her spot beside Santana as she tries to get a good look at the blonde lying on their living room floor.

"Forever and ever." Quinn flails her arms as she groans out her response.

Santana puffs out her cheeks, carefully and slowly blowing air through her pursed lips while she looks over at Brittany who scratches at her hairline, head tilted to the side and her nose crinkled. Someone's phone that's on the kitchen counter goes off, getting both Brittany and Santana's attention, but is completely ignored by Quinn. The dark haired girl huffs and crosses her arms, making it known that she is not getting up to get it.

"I'm not getting it." She tells her blonde counterpart who rolls her eyes and giggles airily as she pushes herself up from the couch. "How much you wanna bet its Berry." She calls over her shoulder, which only gets another, loud groan from the blonde lying on their living room floor. "Britt, while you're in there, grab the bottle for Boozy-McDrinks-before-noon." She leans forward from her spot on the couch and glances at the glass now in Quinn's hands. "Looks like she's in need of a refill."

"Hey Rach." Brittany greets through a giggle, but grabs the bottle of vodka as her girlfriend suggested and walks back into the living room. "Yeah, she's here." Quinn sits up instantly and shoots her blonde buddy an incredulous glare, with wide eyes and mouth open. "Of course." She nods, quickly handing the bottle of liquor to her girlfriend, who instantly unscrews the cap and adds to her friend's depleting beverage. "No," She shakes her head as she plops down beside Santana and tucks her feet under her girlfriend's butt. "Okay, talk to ya later." She sighs and ends the phone call before letting the device drop to the couch behind her.

"What did she want?" Quinn nervously asks, eyes watering as she watches Santana fill her glass carefully and as she waits for Brittany's answer.

"She wanted to know if you were here." Brittany tells her, thinking that it should be fairly obvious, and she watches as her girlfriend screws the top back onto the vodka bottle.

"And?" Santana pushes, urging for more information, letting the bottle rest on the coffee table.

"She wanted to know if you were refilling her martini yet." The blonde says, a slight shake of her head at the confusion from all of the questions.

"And?" Quinn jumps in, bringing her second martini to her lips and taking a decent sized gulp.

"And she wanted to know if we were interested in going to see some foreign movie with her and her dads," She begins, rubbing at her ankles and wriggling her toes under Santana's bum. "And then go to some musical dinner place." She shrugs and reaches to the table for the mug of coffee Santana has seemed to have forgotten. Both Quinn and Santana's eyebrows raise, mouths hang open and their eyes widen.

"And?" They ask in unison. Brittany lifts her eyes up to gaze at both girls, her expression blank and she simply blinks back at them for a few, but very long seconds.

"You guys are so predictable." She chuckles, shakes her head and slaps at her girlfriend's arm.

The other two girls finally piece together that Brittany is jerking their chain, and that of course she would not willingly subject her best friends to such horror. The couple continues to go about their morning routine, with the background noises of groans and whimpers of Quinn, who keeps replaying her week with the Berry men.

* * *

><p>Brittany walks through their front door, gym bag slung over her shoulder, water bottle in hand and she tugs at the scarf around her neck. She grunts as she kicks her shoes off, blows some stray hairs from her face and tosses her keys into the small dish on the table by the door. Santana, from her spot on the couch, glances over her shoulder and grins as she takes in her girlfriend's appearance.<p>

It's a little past five, which means Brittany is returning from her late afternoon dance class, if Santana recalls it's hip hop this week. The blonde looks over to find her girlfriend smiling at her and she returns it fully, lowering her bag from her shoulder and letting it hit the floor by the wall. As she walks over to the couch to join the Latina, she redoes her ponytail and crinkles her nose.

"Hey." Brittany greets with a soft and tired voice, leaning down to press her lips to Santana's before taking the seat beside her girlfriend.

"Hey baby." Santana murmurs into the blonde's mouth as she receives a few more pecks. "How was class?" She asks, opening her arm for her girlfriend to fall into.

"Ugh," Brittany groans, resting her head against Santana's. "Exhausting." She relays, letting her hand come to her girlfriend's thigh and picks at the fabric of her sweatpants. "How was school?" She inquires, nuzzling her face into the crook of Santana's neck as she lifts her feet onto the couch.

"Stupid." Santana replies and tosses the text book from her lap and onto the coffee table a few feet away. "Same shit, different day." She adds with a yawn, leaning back into the couch and her head falls to the back cushion.

"Mmm." Brittany hums and her eyes close at the feel of Santana's hand around her shoulder massaging her arm.

"I have a study group tonight, so I can't do dinner." The shorter girl informs the blonde, nudging her nose into her girlfriend's cheek. Brittany lets out a moan of disapproval and Santana smirks at the way her eyebrows knit together only to emphasize her thoughts on this.

"But I haven't seen you all day." The blonde sighs, reaching her hand up to tug on her girlfriend's sweatshirt.

"You saw me this morning." Santana points out with a chuckle. "You saw _all_ of me this morning." She adds in a husky whisper, pressing her lips to Brittany's forehead making the blonde in her arms giggle.

"But I want more." She admits, lifting her head to look into those brown eyes of the girl she loves.

"Well, if you're up by the time I get home, you'll get more." Santana reasons, wriggling her eyebrows suggestively. She kisses the blonde's mouth, pulls her tightly against her and then moves to get up from the couch.

"I guess I'll call Quinn and see if she wants to do something." Brittany moves her body to fully lie on the couch, watching Santana move about the living room to gather her books. "Rachel's been so busy with her parents visiting and then rehearsals," She explains, getting a grunt of agreement from her girlfriend. "So Quinn is either home alone or wandering the streets to avoid them."

"That sounds like a good idea sweetie." Santana nods, shoving her notes and texts into her bag. "You should invite her here." She says looking up from her books. "Get her out of that stupid, Streisand ridden apartment." Brittany giggles and turns onto her stomach, lifting herself up slightly with her arms.

"Call me when you get out?" The blonde asks, obviously already knowing the answer as she taps her lips with the tip of her finger.

"I'll text you while I'm there." Santana counters, walking over to her girlfriend and kneels in front of her to kiss the end of her nose.

"Even dirty texts?" Brittany wonders with hope, making the other girl giggle.

"Are there any other kind?" Santana fires back, this time bringing her lips back to Brittany's for a sweet kiss. "I love you." She whispers.

"Love you too." The blonde says back, opening her eyes when she feels Santana move to stand up again. "Oh, don't forget that tomorrow is Kurt's birthday dinner." She calls out, getting a grunt from the other girl.

Brittany turns onto her back to watch her girlfriend walk out the door of their apartment, letting out a long and tired sigh when it closes, leaving her alone. She twists her lips and then reaches over onto the coffee table to grab the phone, quickly dialing Quinn's number and lifting the receiver to her ear.

"Hello?" Quinn answers.

"Hey Q." Brittany responds, happy to have gotten Quinn to answer on only the second ring. "What are you doing?"

"Watching Real Housewives, you?" Brittany smirks, she can hear the boredom laced in her friends voice, probably not purposefully watching the reality show but unable to change the channel.

"I just got home and Santana is off to a study group or whatever." She explains, lifting her free hand up to play with a lock of her blonde hair and watches as she twirls it around her finger. "Wanna come over and order a pizza or something?"

"Already on my way." Quinn says and then the line goes dead. Brittany laughs with a shake of her head as she lowers her phone to see that her friend ended the call.

* * *

><p>It's Friday and Brittany is sitting on the couch, legs crossed at her knees, thumbing through an old copy of US Weekly, every few seconds she glances up at the clock on the cable box. Santana is late, she knew she would be, but she hoped she wouldn't be. At least, the blonde reasons, it's not a surprise party because then that would be a bitch of a thing to apologize for.<p>

Her lips twist in thought, for the past fifteen minutes she's been going over in her mind whether or not to call her girlfriend. It seems foolish to call, because Santana knows she is late, and she will only be riddled with frustration of having to be reminded. But, it's getting close to the wire here and they were supposed to be at the restaurant forty two minutes ago. Granted they were meeting at the bar of the restaurant with Quinn and Rachel first for a few drinks, but still, they are late and are probably going to be given a speech by the diva herself.

"I know," Santana rushes in through the door, bags over her shoulders and books in her arms. "I'm late, I'm sorry." She apologizes, and Brittany can't help but smirk because her girlfriend is out of breath, letting her know she probably ran home. Taking two large steps, she comes up to the side of the couch that Brittany is sitting on and leans over. "Give me," She places a quick peck on the blonde's lips. "Fifteen minutes, and I'll be ready to go." She grins at the sitting girl, before she spins around to drop her bags and books all over the table against the wall by the door.

Before Santana sprints to the bathroom, already knowing that Brittany has a towel in there waiting for her, she kicks her sneakers off under the table. The blonde shakes her head as she follows her girlfriend's image until it vanishes into the hallway and into their bedroom. She smoothes out the front of her dress and pushes herself up from the couch, making her way to the table now covered in Santana's school books and bag.

"So lucky I love your messy ass." She giggles to herself as she picks up the heavy Political Science textbook, History textbook and about three some odd notebooks that looks as though they've been through war. Trying to pick up the dark haired girls bag with two fingers she winds up dropping one of those ten ton textbooks onto the floor, having it fan out and a few loose notes go flying across their wooden floor. "Ugh." Brittany groans with a roll of her eyes, setting everything back onto the table as they were before and bends down to retrieve the mess _she's_ now created.

She sighs at the sight of papers and the heavy text, Santana's been spending three nights a week at a study group with the pledge to pass her Political Science class despite her teacher's efforts to fail her. She shakes her head at the thought of a teacher giving a student a hard time and even putting their academic world on the line simply because they don't like said student. Then again, Santana's never been good at expressing herself to authority figures, and she wouldn't be all that surprised at her girlfriend getting lippy with a professor.

Lifting the textbook right side up, she shuffles the loose pages closer to her and into a small pile. As her eyes scan over the college ruled paper, covered in her girlfriend's handwriting, she gathers that what she holds in her hands are notes from her study group. Brittany hums out a sigh and tilts her head to the side as she presses the papers into the textbook, tightly, to ensure that they will not fall out. But, when she is about to close the textbook and get back up to her feet she spots a tiny piece of blue paper far beneath the table.

Her hand stretches under the table, a little further than before, and she pinches the blue paper between her index and middle finger. She grabs the textbook with one hand and then leans her arm onto the table to hoist herself back into a standing position. Before she shoves the little piece of a paper into the book along with the rest of the notes something catches her eye. Her head jerks back a little and her eyes narrows, eyebrows furrow and her nose crinkles.

Brittany puts the textbook down, bringing her other hand to grab the note better. It's not Santana's handwriting, this is obvious in the curlier yet straight edged font if this particular writing. Her eyes scan over the words, briefly, just to take it all in first before she actually reads it fully. It's short, a line or maybe two, she can't count right now because all she can seem to really notice is the person it's from. But, before she jumps to conclusions, she decides to calmly read the tiny note.

_**we should do lunch again, I had a great time today. call me. –T**_

"I'm out of the shower." Santana's voice comes from their bedroom, startling Brittany who hastily shoves the note into the textbook and closes it. "I just gotta do my hair." She calls out and then the sound of the blow dryer going on echoes through the apartment.

Brittany moves away from the table, eyes focused on the couch that she is making her way towards, and she slowly takes a seat. Her chin rests into her hand as she leans forward and her eyebrows knit together in thought. It's probably nothing; probably no one. The blonde is trying to rack her brain to put the letter 'T' to any and every face she has come in contact with since this semester started. Obviously it has to be someone from school, or why else would that note be stuffed into Santana's Political Science textbook. But every face she comes up with only ends up nameless because she can't seem to remember.

It's not the note that's getting to her, it's the way that it sounds in her mind as she reads it over and over again. It sounds flirty. 'I had a _great_ time', like, what does that even mean, she thinks to herself. And whose phone number does Santana have? Have they spoken before? Brittany slits her eyes at the cable box, telling her they are only later than they were before her girlfriend came home. Her head tilts to the side and she lets out a long sigh as her mind wanders to the idea of looking through Santana's phone book on her cell.

But, she can't. That's not very trusting of her, she would feel so guilty and probably not be able to look her girlfriend in the eye if she were to do something so deceitful. With a huff she leans back against the couch and lets her hands fall to her lap, greeted by silence when the blow dryer shuts off.

"Just touching up my make-up, sugar." Santana so sweetly hollers from the hallway before sneaking back into the bedroom to lean into the mirror most likely. The blonde's arms uncomfortably come across her chest and she brings her fingers to her lips where she begins to nibble on her nails. "Baby," Comes the sound of her girlfriend's hushed tone and gentle clinks from the heels of her boots, which gets the blonde's attention. "Stop biting your nails." She smirks and loosely wraps her fingers around Brittany's wrist to tug her fingers from her teeth.

"Sorry." Brittany mumbles, letting her hand fall down to meet the other in her lap. Santana giggles and takes a seat on the arm rest of their couch and rests her hand on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"Why are you sorry?" She inquires with a confused but amused expression. "You're the one who asked me to tell you when to stop doing that." She explains lightheartedly, rubbing her fingers into her girlfriend's tense shoulders. "You said it's a nasty habit." She explains with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Right." Brittany nervously laughs out and then pushes herself up from the couch, catching Santana's hand in her own when it falls from her back. "Well, we should go." She motions towards the door, pulling the dark haired girl from the couch to follow.

"Alright, alright." Santana huffs, jokingly of course, and reaches for her girlfriend's jacket on the back of the closet door. "Turn around gorgeous." She twirls her finger in the air for Brittany to face her back to Santana, this way it will be easier for her to help her with her coat.

"Such a gentleman." Brittany teases, and gets a playful smack on her ass as well as a tiny growl in her ear.

"Fresh." Santana rasps, a chuckle follows shortly after. "You look beautiful by the way." She comments as she fixes the collar of her girlfriend's coat. Brittany smiles, her fingers fastening the large buttons on the front of her jacket and she looks over her shoulder.

"So do you." Santana blushes slightly and reaches around the blonde to grab her own coat and scarf.

"You want this boo?" The dark haired girl offers the dancer her scarf.

"Yeah," Brittany nods and smiles as she turns around to take the offered garment. "Thanks."

Luckily, the restaurant is only a few blocks away from Brittany and Santana's apartment and they get there within five minutes. There's light snowfall as they enter the place and the blonde chuckles when her girlfriend throws a comment out about using Rachel as a shovel, or something to that affect.

"Look who's finally here." Quinn announces and waves her hand in the air upon the arrival of Brittany and Santana.

"Yeah, yeah." Santana brushes her off as she helps Brittany with her jacket again, but in the opposite direction this time. "I had school stuff." She rolls her eyes, even though she knows that Quinn is only joking around.

"You better get your shit together Lopez." The blonde, hazel eyed girl comments, pointing a finger at her shorter friend. "We have a deal, remember." She quirks an eyebrow and then smirks, finally getting the Latina to let out a chuckle.

Brittany smiles at the banter between her girlfriend and best friend. Ever since they both decided to try out law school together, they've been each other's driving forces to do better and try harder. Granted they are both still a semester behind their girlfriend's, they want to be sure that _they_ graduate at the same time.

"Your hair looks amazing Brittany." Rachel says, breaking the blonde out of her own world, and moves next to the dancer to admire her blonde hair.

"Oh," She smiles politely, and touches the back of her head lightly. "Thanks Rach."

"Hey," Rachel reaches around Brittany to tap Santana on the shoulder and get her attention. "How's that study group going?" She asks with a tilt of her head.

"It's good." Santana replies dryly, turning her body to face the diva and the two blonde's. "Exhausting, but good." She nods at the bartender when he comes over and orders two glasses of white wine.

"I remember I was in a study group once," Quinn chimes in with feigned interest at the memory. "This annoying girl thought she was, like, in charge." She rolls her eyes and sips her martini. "Kurt was there, it was back in Lima." She explains to the group who nod. "When we suggested to venture somewhere else to study, like the Lima Bean, she freaked out saying we couldn't fully grasp the subject if we weren't on campus." She bites an olive off of the tiny sword in her drink. "Bitch was crazy."

"It looks like Santana is lucky." Rachel points out through a light fit of chuckles, hooking her arm through Quinn's as she twirls her wine in her glass. "I was on my way to work and I saw her with some little group outside at some deli or whatever." She waves her hand that resting on Quinn's arm, forgetting the name of the deli she'd seen them at. Santana just nods, agreeing with her friends that it's nice to not have to be on campus so much.

"Oh, I always thought you went to school for those study sessions." Brittany comments with a tilt of her head, reaching for the glass that Santana is holding out for her. The Latina turns her head to the side and furrows her brows slightly.

"Oh, I guess I never thought to explain we pick places to meet sometimes." She explains with a shrug of her shoulders, and she takes a sip of her wine quickly. "I mean, the library closes sometimes and we get 'shushed' a lot." She continues and then chuckles with an eye roll. "Well, _I_ get 'shushed' a lot." The other three laugh along with her, not at all surprised that the Latina would be told to be quiet in a library.

"Hello my beautiful lady loves." Kurt's voice booms through their tightly knit circle and they all fan out to greet him for his birthday dinner. "You look," He kisses Rachel. "So wonderful." He kisses Quinn, Santana and then Brittany before spinning into Blaine who he kisses on the lips. "Woohoo, happy birthday to me." He declares and lifts his foot, leaning forward into Blaine.

"Happy Birthday." Quinn says softly and squeezes his shoulder affectionately.

"Yeah, happy birthday." Santana tells him with a sweet smile. "Baby, did you bring your camera?" She asks in a tiny voice in Brittany's ear. The blonde rifles through her bag and slumps her shoulders.

"Oh, I forgot." She pouts, but Santana grins and wraps her arm comfortably around the tall blonde's waist.

"We can use my phone." The Latina suggests, taking a quick sip of her wine and turns her attention to conversation being had between their friends.

After a few more minutes and getting Kurt and Blaine a drink, they finally get called for their table. It's a cute place, not too fancy, especially seeing that they are all still struggling college kids. Actually, it's perfect for them. The couples sit together, and close to their partner, as they enjoy light conversation over a few bottles of a wine and good food.

"And when you become some huge fashion designer, you can call me to look over all the fine print to make sure you don't get screwed over." Santana tells Kurt, raising her nearly empty wine glass in the air by the stem, a smug look on her face.

"What about me?" Quinn shouts out defensively, but of course in jest, getting a few snickers from around the table.

"Sweetie, how about you get your bachelor's first." Rachel jumps in, rubbing her girlfriend's arm.

"You should say that to Santana's Poli Sci professor." Quinn comments with a roll of her eyes as she finishes up the last of her red wine. Santana huffs and shakes her head, grumbling something into her glass about agreeing with that comment.

"What?" Blaine finally enters the conversation. Santana and Brittany like him enough, but he mostly sits there and smiles, a lot.

"According to Miss Lopez here," The short haired blonde shifts in her seat and raises a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Her Political Science teacher has it out for her."

"He does." Santana nods at the truth to this statement.

"Oh come on." Quinn challenges. "That's crazy."

"Yeah," Rachel leans her arm onto the table. "What would make you think such a thing?"

"Because that's exactly what he said." The Latina huffs, and sits back into her seat, leaning over to the side to snuggle up to Brittany. Everyone but Brittany and Quinn look back at her in shock, and eventually, after a few seconds she sighs in defeat. "Okay, maybe he didn't say _that exactly_." She shrugs and hands Brittany her glass.

"So that's why you've been obsessed with your study groups lately." Kurt muses, tapping the tip of his finger to his chin and glances off to the side as if in thought. Brittany glances over at her girlfriend and watches the way her lips curl up and the way her eyes shine at their friend's laughter and stories.

However, as the night comes to a close, the thing that Brittany has been trying to forget and push into the back of her mind only seems to be dragged to the forefront. She didn't expect the topic of her girlfriend's stupid study sessions to pull her mind back to that tiny note she'd found in a Political Science textbook.

She shakes her head to herself when she feels Santana squeeze her hand and look in her direction. Brittany is certain that there is nothing to worry about here. Actually, she is pretty sure she is driving herself crazy with something probably so innocent. Maybe when they get home she'll bring it up to Santana, explain how it fell out of her book when she was planning on moving her stuff. But then again, there's no reason for her to confront Santana because there is nothing to confront. If it wasn't meant to be found, then her the Latina would have tossed it away, she wouldn't have stuck the note into her textbook with the possibility of Brittany finding it.

"So, we'll call you guys tomorrow." Quinn nudges her shoulder into Brittany's, shaking her out of her inner dialogue. The tall blonde realizes they are outside and she wonders how long she's been in her own mind.

"Oh," She smiles at Quinn and Rachel and nods. "Yeah, tomorrow." She hooks her arm into Santana's and lets the Latina lead the way to the taxi she'd flagged down.

The cab ride is just as quick on the way home as it was on the way there, and within minutes they arrive at their apartment building. Brittany pays the driver and ushers Santana out gently. They lead one another to the elevator, where once inside, Santana pins Brittany up against the wall and kisses her neck softly. Brittany can't fight the smile that comes to her lips and her arms come up to circle around her girlfriend's neck.

The dancer pulls her girlfriend down the hallway, it's only a few feet until they reach the door, and she unlocks and pushes it open. Santana's hands are still all over her, even as she kicks the door shut behind them, and the stumble through the living room. The Latina grabs the keys from her and throws them onto the table where they fall to the floor with a 'clink', catching the blonde's attention. Of course, her eyes happen to fall on to the Political Science textbook, still perched on top of the tiny table against the wall, with bits of loose leaf paper sticking out of it.

She closes her eyes when Santana continues to kiss her neck, moving to her shoulders where she lowers the straps of her dress. The blonde giggles once they get into their room, and Santana finally removes her hands from the lithe dancer. She smiles bashfully at Brittany, who stands there ready to undress, and excuses herself to use the bathroom complaining about too many glasses of wine before dinner.

When the dress falls to the floor, Brittany steps out of it, telling herself she'll pick it up tomorrow. She strides her way over to her dresser, pulling out a t-shirt to wear for bed. Her thumbs tuck into the elastic of her thong and she shimmies out of them easily, until finally pulling out the bobbie pins from her hair and shaking her blonde locks free.

She looks over to their bathroom door and smirks when she hears the tell tale signs of Santana's nightly ritual of facial cleansing. Instead of waiting for Santana to pick up where they'd only just started, she pulls the covers back and plops herself onto the mattress. Lying on her back, she stares up at the ceiling, listening to her girlfriend hum as she scrubs and rinses her face. She shouldn't but she can't help but let her mind wander back to that note in the other room, under the hundred some odd pages of a text book.

Brittany hadn't realized it, but she had closed her eyes for a few moments, deep in thought obviously. The next thing she notices is the dip in the bed and warm hands on her body. When she peeks her eyes open she finds her girlfriend smiling back down at her as she slides on top of her.

"Mmm." Santana hums as her lips brush against the skin of Brittany's neck, while her hands bunch up the blonde's t-shirt at her sides. "You looked so sexy tonight." She whispers into her girlfriend's skin.

"You say that all the time." Brittany tells her, her nose crinkles as she giggles when Santana blows air into her ear.

"Well," The Latina starts, lifts her head and raises an eyebrow at her girlfriend. "That's 'cause it's the truth." She half smirks before she dips her head back down to adorn Brittany's neck with kisses.

Her hands trail further up the blonde's shirt, letting her thumbs brush up against stiff peaks as the cool air of the room and her warm touch hit Brittany's skin. She tugs at the fabric of the t-shirt and gets the girl on her back to sit up enough for her to yank it off, in the same motion pulling her own tank top off in the process.

Santana smirks to herself, taking in the fact that both she and Brittany go to bed without underwear on and she is quick to let her body fall flush against the blondes. Her mouth instantly finds the uncovered flesh, licks and sucks on it, leaving tiny pink marks in its wake. Slowly, she kisses and nips her way down her dancer girlfriend's body, her thumbs lustfully press into her hip bones. Before she moves that little bit lower, she glances up and wriggles her eyebrows up at the blonde who watches her.

Brittany lies there, head rests against her pillow and her face tilted up to the ceiling. Her hands, one placed on a tanned shoulder and the other atop dark hair. Her legs are spread, with just enough space for Santana's head to fit between, and they are bent at the knees. She shifts her hips, wanting to move with the friction her girlfriend's tongue and lips are providing, but the little ting in the back of her mind makes it hard for her to enjoy. She's thinking; there's no way around it.

She shuts her eyes, tightly, and clenches her jaw as she lets out a long breath through her nose. Santana hums out in appreciation from between her legs, the vibrations definitely peaks some interest down there, but not enough to get her brain to stop. She doesn't even really know what it is she is thinking of, but, fact of the matter is, she can't concentrate. This actually seems odd to her, because she never really needs to 'concentrate' when they are in such intimate positions.

"Baby," Santana coos from a few feet down, kisses the inside of Brittany's thigh and caresses the outsides with her soft fingers. "You get me so hot." She whispers, her breath hits the blonde's centre just before her lips kiss her there again.

Santana reaches her hand up, fingers trail up Brittany's torso until she grasps her left breast with her right hand. She squeezes the pale flesh in her hand a few times, only to momentarily cease her motions when she feels the blonde's hand move from the top of her head and cover the back of her hand. She smiles to herself as she slightly tilts her head to the side, preparing to full on kiss her girlfriend's most intimate place.

"Sant… Santana." Brittany sighs as she wraps her fingers around Santana's hand that's on her breast and tugs on it. "Come... come here." She asks gently, still lightly pulling at her girlfriend's hand to get her to come back up to eye level.

A throaty chuckle escapes Santana's lips and Brittany can feel her smirk against her skin before she lifts her body up, ready to obey her girlfriend's wishes. She lowers her head ever few inches that she crawls over the lithe body beneath her, pressing open mouthed kisses to the patches of skin her lips find. Pale hands pull, tug and yank for Santana to reach her quickly, only causing the Latina to giggle some more.

"Impatient are we?" The dark haired girl comments once she finally reaches her destination and meets those blue eyes. Brittany swallows the tiny lump in her throat, forces a small smile to her face and tears her eyes from Santana's, letting her fingers dance delicately at the back of her girlfriend's tanned and muscular back. "I'm gonna make you come so hard." Santana groans, letting her mouth fall down to Brittany's shoulder, sucking on the spot just below her neck.

Her hips grind down into Brittany's while her fingers slowly travel down her stomach, tickle the inside of her thigh and move to touch that spot between her legs. But just as her fingers are within reach, a hand grasps her wrist and pulls it further away from its intended destination. Santana sucks in a breath, leans her forehead into Brittany's cheek and furrows her brow.

"Wait." Brittany lets out, it's soft and hesitant.

"You okay babe?" Santana asks, nudging her nose into her girlfriend's and then kisses the corner of her mouth as she pulls back to see the blonde's expression. Brittany looks back up at the girl hovering above her, giving both of those beautiful brown eyes the same amount of attention and then she lets out a sigh of a smile.

"Yeah." She giggles out and shakes her head, bringing a hand up to rub her forehead. "I'm just," She brings her other hand to the front of Santana's shoulder and rubs at it affectionately. "Really tired." Brittany admits and she blinks a few times, staring up at Santana through hooded eyes, who smiles sweetly at the blonde.

"Is that why you've been out of it all night?" She muses, letting her hand that was venturing downwards come to rest at the side of Brittany's head, her fingers playing with her blonde hair. The dancer offers a nod and a smile with parted lips that let out a small puff of air. "Okay." She says softly, and leans down to press one last kiss to her girlfriend's lips. "Let's go to sleep then." She winks as she pulls up and teaches to the bedside table to shut off the lamp that is lighting up the room.

"I mean," Brittany stammers out, once more grabbing at Santana's wrist, stilling her. "If you… like, I can…" She lowers her eyes down to their hips, where their bodies are still pressed up against one another and her mouth opens and closes a few times at the suggestion. Santana's eyebrows knit, and then unknit as she takes in what Brittany is proposing.

"Britt," Santana starts, an amused and half offended chuckle pops from her lips as she studies her girlfriend. "I'm not some sex crazed girl who…" She stops talking when Brittany sends a quirked eyebrow and a tight lipped smirk in her direction. Santana rolls her eyes and lets out a real giggle, settling her body comfortably once again on Brittany. "Okay, I _am_." She concedes with humor, getting a short laugh from the blonde. "But," She shrugs her shoulders and shakes her head, watching as her fingers twirl Brittany's blonde hair around. "You don't need to get me off _all the time_." She tries to explain without trying to be so blunt about it, but she knows that she needs to be in order for Brittany to grasp what she wants to say. "You should know by now that it's more than just sex with us." Santana continues, letting her eyes raise and lock into sparkling yet questioning blue eyes. Her head shakes again and one shoulder shrugs as she blinks and squints, doing her best to try and read the blonde's mind.

"I know." Brittany replies, just before Santana is about to question her hesitation. They both tentatively smile at one another, two sets of hands rub and tickle against skin not their own as the conversation settles between them.

"So," Santana drawls out, letting her body slowly lean back over and her arm reaches out to the bedside lamp. "Let's," She pulls the string down and blackness takes over their bedroom. "Go to sleep." She giggles as she rolls herself off of Brittany and onto her side of the bed, her arm drapes over the blonde's stomach and pulls her body close. "I love you." She whispers gently into the night air of their bedroom.

"I love you too Santana." Brittany says back and turns onto her side, shuffling her back into Santana's front and breathes out comfortably at the feel of her girlfriend's arm around her. "Goodnight." She yawns, rubbing up and down the arm that is holding her tight.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: just want to say that this has been planned since I even started posting this story. and if you follow my tumblr, you know i've commented on some serious shtuff coming up in here. this chapter may seem a bit, idk, dicey, or however you wanna put it. but it's kind of supposed to be, especially if you read it from a perspective such as Brittany's._**


	25. Chapter 25

Brittany gets out a little later from work than usual, which means she's missed dinner. It's not the first time she has had to pick up a class for a co-worker, but she is hoping to get home to some good food and much needed rest. Since winter is finally over with, walking home isn't so bad anymore and she actually looks forward to her walks to and from work.

Within twenty or so minutes she is opening the door to her and Santana's apartment to find her other half sitting at their kitchen table texting away on her cell phone. When she closes the door her girlfriend looks up from her message and sends her a small smile only to go right back to her phone conversation. Brittany sighs, tosses her keys on the side table against the wall and slowly takes her spring jacket off.

It's been like this for the past few weeks. Everything is fine with them as a couple. No fights and no arguments. But, whenever Brittany returns home from anywhere, there is Santana on her cell phone like a little giddy school girl. She has wanted to ask who she's talking to and what is so funny, but there is some part of her that doesn't even want to know. Santana told her from the beginning of these ongoing text-versations that Trish, the girl from her classes, is the girl who makes their study group meetings happen. That Trish does the best impersonations of their professor and that Trish is this and that.

Brittany doesn't really like Trish stories. They're boring.

The tall dancer walks into the kitchen, presses a kiss to her girlfriend's head and opens the fridge in hope of finding something waiting for her to be reheated. A small frown comes to her mouth when she finds no tiny post-it with her name on it. She hears a little giggle come from behind her and she rolls her eyes.

"What'd you have for dinner?" Brittany asks as she closes the refrigerator door and moves to look through the cabinets. After a few extra seconds of silence, she turns around and pokes Santana in the back. "Babe?"

"Oh." Santana snaps out of her texting coma and places her phone down to give her girlfriend her full attention. "I didn't have yet." She lets her know, moving from her chair to stand behind the blonde. "I was waiting for you," She says softly, wrapping her arms around Brittany's stomach making both girls smile. "But then a last minute study group happened, so I'm heading out. We're gonna get food." Brittany's smile instantly drops and she subtly hangs her head.

"Oh, alright." She tries not to sound so sad as she taps Santana's hands on her hips. "Maybe I'll go to Quinn and Rachel's and make them cook for me." She shrugs her shoulders and can feel the smile on Santana's lips against her back.

"That sounds like a great plan." Santana lightly laughs and cuddles closely into her girlfriend's body. "Maybe if group doesn't end too late, we can all go out and get drinks?" She offers, hoping to somehow rectify that she is ditching her girlfriend for some extra learning. Brittany takes in a breath, lifts her head and slowly moves herself out of Santana's grasp to open the fridge once more for a bottle of water.

"I don't know. I've got three classes tomorrow and then I'm going right to the studio." Brittany explains as she spins around to lean against the counter to catch Santana's lips twisting with disappointment.

"I don't have to go. I can cancel." Santana tells her, moving to the kitchen table to reach for her phone and ready to abandon her study group for Brittany.

"No." The blonde shakes her head and pulls Santana by the arm into her body. "You go study, get smarter." They giggle and Brittany kisses Santana's forehead. "I'll be here when you get back." She whispers with one more big squeeze to her girlfriend's tiny frame before she walks out of the kitchen and into their bedroom.

Ten minutes later and a 'bye baby' followed by the sound of the door closing, Brittany lets out a long awaited sigh. Her body falls to the bed, letting her back hit the mattress and she stares up at the ceiling. It's not that she doesn't think Santana no longer loves her. It's not even that she doesn't trust her. Actually, she really doesn't know what it is that is even bothering her about any of this.

She's proud that her girlfriend is working so hard and studying so much in order to graduate in time. Sure, Brittany has only a few months left in the semester before she is a college graduate. But, Santana has a few months and then a whole other semester before she has a degree. She should be focusing on her last two months of school, but all she can seem to dwell on is the fact that her girlfriend is out every other day and night 'studying' with some girl named Trish who texts her more than her mother calls.

With a groan of over thinking agony, Brittany pushes herself up from the bed and grabs her cell phone. She heads to the door, grabbing her jacket first, and then makes her way to the outside world once again. Yet another night, she thinks, where she goes over to Quinn's to ease her mind.

* * *

><p>A few days later, Santana wakes up to find the bed half empty. She blinks away the sleep in her eyes and turns her head to the side her hand feels is vacant. Still feeling sleepy, she plays the 'time game' in her mind as she lifts her head to look over at the clock to find that she is correct in assuming it's barely 8:00am. With a grunt of drowsiness, her head flops to the pillow once again while her body stretches out.<p>

Her feet shuffle against the wooden floor of their hallway and her hand on the wall guides her into the living room where she finds Brittany stretching. The blonde has her ear buds in and is otherwise unaware of her company as she hums along to the song playing on her iPod. Santana grins from ear to ear and leans into the island separating the kitchen from the living room. She always enjoys watching her girlfriend alone in her own world. The blonde jumps when she turns around and finds that she is not as alone as she thought she was.

"Morning." Santana mumbles, pushing herself away from the island table. Brittany half smiles and pulls out one of the ear buds.

"What?" She asks breathlessly, still recovering from being startled.

"I said 'good morning'." Santana repeats and opens her arms for a morning hug from her dancer girlfriend.

"Oh." Brittany nods and rolls her eyes at herself playfully. "I'm all sweaty." She warns Santana, dodging the embrace by bending over to stretch some more. The shorter girl scrunches her eyebrows and shakes her head.

"Okay." She chuckles out and runs her hands through her hair after realizing she still had her arms outstretched. "You were up early huh?" She comments as she brushes by the bendy blonde to head over to the couch.

"You got home late." Brittany says in response, catching Santana a little off guard that she stumbles a bit on her way to the tiny area rug under the coffee table. The dancer doesn't hesitate in her next stretch, standing up right and grabbing an ankle.

"Yeah, we decided to wind down at some bar by the library." She easily recovers, letting her body fall to the couch and grabs the remote control.

"I'm going in the shower." Brittany sighs out after a few seconds of quiet and Santana looks over her shoulder to watch her walk down the hallway and into their bedroom.

With a roll of her eyes and a huff, she turns her attention back to the blank television screen. She raises the remote, her thumb ready to press the power on but she can't. Her hand falls to her lap and she glances down at her nails that are in dire need of a manicure. The sound of the shower going on catches her attention and she leans her head against the back of the couch for a few more minutes.

No longer being able to be stubborn about it, Santana gets up from the couch and finds herself standing outside of their bathroom door. But, when she turns the door knob she finds it locked which peeks her interest. Her head jerks back and her eyebrows furrow at this. She presses her ear to the door wondering if maybe Brittany had some 'private' things to take care of and maybe that's why she was all moody only a few moments ago. But she doesn't hear a moan or a groan or even a peep. With curiosity getting the best of her, she knocks twice.

"I'm in the shower." Comes Brittany's voice through their bathroom door. Santana gives the girl an odd look even though she cannot see it.

"Uh, yeah I know." Santana informs her girlfriend and knocks again. "Let me in Britt." She asks sweetly and taps her fingers on the door. A moment and a click later, the bathroom door cracks open letting some steam waft into their bedroom. "Can I come in?" Santana asks as she is pushing the door open.

"Do you have to pee?" Brittany wonders curiously while she holds her towel around her loosely and runs her fingers through her soaked hair. Santana shakes her head and half smiles as she pulls her shirt up and over her head, letting it fall to the tiled floor of their en suite bathroom.

"I need to shower too." She winks, stepping towards Brittany and reaches out to grab her towel.

"Santana," Brittany moves from her and holds her hand up, shaking her head and looks to the ground. "I know what you're trying to do." She lets her in on her not so secret seductive ways. "But sex doesn't fix everything. This is a relationship. A partnership." She tries to explain, uncertain if her heart is getting in the way of her brain trying to form words. "We work because we work together and I…" She looks at Santana briefly, before averting her eyes and sighing out in frustration.

"What needs to be fixed?" Santana asks defensively, crossing her arms over her exposed chest. "I mean, I thought you were just upset that I got home late." She shrugs her shoulders like even that isn't a big deal, which she knows it is, even if it isn't.

"So then you know something's wrong." Brittany points out that obviously Santana has an inkling as to something not being all right.

"Are you or are you not upset that I got home late last night?" She watches the words marinate in her girlfriend's head and waits for her response. Brittany gnaws on her lower lip, not quite sure where this conversation may or may not lead, but she winds up settling for a nod. "Okay, so then let's make up for last night baby." Santana grins and steps towards the blonde once more, only to be yet again denied.

"And the night before that and the day before that." Brittany rattles off a few other reasons as to why she is in such a mood today and Santana's smile falls from her face. Her arms tighten around herself and she looks to the ground in thought. "Can we just talk about this later? I really have to get ready for school." Brittany breaks through her inner monologue and she nods, walking slowly out of the bathroom.

Santana waits at the kitchen table with a bowl of Cheerio's for their bedroom to be free. She can't settle the grumble in her stomach at Brittany being upset with her. The worst part about it is she isn't quite sure what she has actually done. Sure, she has been busy with school, studying super hard and work. But, it's pretty much normal take away all of their school and work related moments.

As she munches on some now very soggy cereal, she contemplates the idea of Brittany falling out of love with her. It would explain the distance, the awkward silence in the past few weeks and the reason Brittany locked the bathroom door which has never happened until today. Sometimes they don't even close the door when they are peeing, and not because they have some weird potty time fetish. It is because they are that comfortable and in love with one another.

She is broken from her thoughts at the sound of Brittany's sneakers squeaking from down to the hall and to the kitchen. The dancer grabs a bottle of water from the refrigerator and shoves it into her McKinley High School duffle bag that is worn down to practically rags. She tucks some hair that's fallen from her pony tail behind her ear and her eyes scan the kitchen before landing on the island table separating the two rooms.

"Uh, I forgot to charge my phone." Brittany groans at the realization that her phone has only twenty five percent battery left.

"Take the charger." Santana mumbles through some cereal in her mouth and points to the outlet housing said charger. Brittany glances over at the white charger plugged into the outlet and thinks it over.

"Aren't _you_ gonna need it?" She asks, turning her attention back to her bag as she rustles to shove her phone into its depths. Santana swallows her food and sets her spoon down against the side of the bowl as she watches Brittany.

"I charged mine all night." She says with a shrug and pushes her chair back to get up from the table.

"Yeah," Brittany slowly starts and zips her bag shut. "But a phone with an LCD screen sucks up the most battery, because the screen is lit the entire time you are texting." She starts to explain, gaining a quizzical stare from Santana. "So, every sixty word text message drains out about point zero two percent of your phones battery. Say you send sixty, sixty word text messages your battery will go down by about…" She tilts her head to the side and looks to the ceiling in thought for a few minutes. "Point zero four percent or so." She twists her lips and looks over at Santana whose eyebrows are up to her hair line and her jaw dropped. "It's common knowledge."

"Apparently." Santana says, finally zoning back into reality and shakes her head to herself.

"I'm just saying, at the rate you've been texting this month you'll need the charger before I will." She shrugs her shoulders and spins on her heels. "I'll see you later babe." She waves over her shoulder before walking out into the hall and closing the door to their apartment behind her.

"Uh," Santana waves to the closed door, awkwardly standing in the kitchen alone with a bowl of soggy Cheerio's in her hand. "Bye."

* * *

><p>"I really fuckin' hate people today." Santana mumbles harshly as she passes by Quinn in the kitchen. The blonde quirks an eyebrow, nodding agreement, but curiously watches as her friend hastily tosses empty glasses into a bus tub. "<em>'Is this decaf<em>?'" She imitates a customer. "No bitch, I gave you regular coffee so you O.D. on caffeine you stupid fuck." Quinn's eyebrows raise and she stifles a snorting laugh.

"Wow, someone is extra bitch today." She comments as she turns towards the clean glassware and starts setting up a tray. Santana sighs and all but throws her now empty tray onto the counter.

"I'm just so not in the mood for this place today and everyone's special requests." She explains vaguely and moves to stand at the counter to watch Quinn fill up her table's drinks. "'It's cold in here can you turn the air conditioning off?'" Santana mocks another customer, or perhaps the same one, and rolls her eyes. "It's fucking spring and like five million degrees outside. Suck it up and deal with a breezy half hour lunch. Enjoy it." She waves her hand in the air to dismiss the irritating request. "It's not my fault you're a brittle old lady. Grab a shawl or some shit." Quinn lets out a decent laugh this time, not even bothering to cover it up.

"I'm so happy we work together." She points out with a sideways glance, getting a small smirk out of her friend.

"Yeah, well, at least someone is happy to be around me." Santana says blandly and turns her attention back towards Quinn's now full glasses sitting on the tray. "Brittany is _not_ my biggest fan right now."

"Oh, trouble in paradise?" Quinn asks cautiously. It wasn't often that her best friends had trouble in their relationship, but for the past couple of weeks she's heard of some issues from the blonde in question. Santana shrugs her shoulders and leans forward to let her elbows rest onto the counter.

"Something like that." She grumbles, watching as her finger picks at some tape on the counter.

Before she ventures further into the conversation, knowing it can go in two different directions, Quinn takes a peek out to the dining room and sees that her table appears to be ready to order. She huffs, rolls her eyes and as she grabs her tray she gives Santana a look telling her to 'hold that thought'. Santana stares on as her friend fades into the dining room and makes her way over to her table. She mulls over checking on her own tables, but right now, she needs a little silence.

Her hand finds its way into her apron and she pulls out her cell phone out of habit and boredom. As soon as the screen is illuminated she's reminded by the bit of knowledge that Brittany had dropped on her this morning about battery life drainage and she huffs. Without even looking at her messages or sending one out, she shoves the phone back into her apron only to pull it out again when it vibrates.

"Please tell me that's a message from Brittany because bitchy Santana is way less fun than super inappropriate Santana." Quinn jokes as she comes back into the kitchen and sets down her now empty tray.

"It's not from Britt." Santana groans when she sees that it's just a text message from her school friend.

"_Oh_." Quinn hums out catching Santana's attention because her tone sounds like she's knows something.

"What?" She eyes the blonde up.

"What do you mean 'what'?" Quinn shoots back and turns her focus on stocking some glassware.

"Okay, well now I know you know something, because you only start doing actual work when you want to avoid confrontation." Santana points out and Quinn instantly gives up, in no mood for an interrogation.

"Here it is, and I'm only telling you because you're my homegirl." Quinn begins, but Santana raises her hand and shakes her head at the word 'homegirl' coming out of her friend's mouth. "Fuck off." She rolls her eyes and shoves Santana's shoulder to get her back on track. "Rachel told me that Kurt told her that Brittany told him that the night of his birthday she found a note in one of your textbooks from some girl." Santana slowly follows the branches of the story, connecting everything until finally giving one nod when she's pieced it.

"God, you're even starting to talk like her." Santana slaps her forehead because she is pretty certain that even though those were Quinn's lips moving, Rachel Berry's voice came out.

"Do you ever not have a snappy retort ready?" Quinn tilts her head in not so surprise.

"It's a gift." She grins proudly. "So, hold up." Santana lifts her hand again to stop anything else from coming out of her friend's mouth. "Brittany told My Little Pony that she found a note from some girl in some textbook?" She repeats in her own words all of which Quinn has just revealed.

"Yes."

"Why hasn't she said anything to me?" She questions.

"Probably because she doesn't want to be _that_ girl." Quinn points out easily enough as she leans her hands against the metal counter top in the kitchen.

"What 'girl'?" Santana pushes, wondering where her buddy is going with this. Quinn sighs and bumps her shoulder into Santana's when the girl leans against the counter with her.

"The girl who over reacts over something that is probably nothing." She explains and turns her head to read her friend's expression. "It _is_ nothing, right?" Quinn asks and gets an annoyed look from Santana.

"Are you seriously going to ask me that?" She rolls her eyes and playfully punches Quinn in the arm, getting a small chuckle form the both of them. "I mean, the only girl I could think of who would slip a note in one of my books is that girl Trish. We have a few classes together and we have study group for Poli Sci." Santana says with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Is this the same 'Trish' that's been texting you non-stop?" The blonde inquires, pushing herself away from the counter to stand in front of Santana and crosses her arms over her chest. Santana lightly laughs and shakes her head.

"You make it sound like I've been having some illicit affair via text message." She waves her friend away and looks through the double doors as they fly open to check her section from afar.

"Look, all I'm saying is," Quinn sets a hand to one of the swinging doors, looking over her shoulder at Santana. "Brittany's been over a lot the past couple of weeks while you're off getting smart. We talk about stuff, you." Santana looks away, sure her friend is about to lay some knowledge on her just like another blonde did this very morning. "Remember how mad you got when that dance teacher guy texted her about class?"

Santana takes a deep breath, glances up at Quinn and nods. The blonde disappears behind the doors and threw them swinging Santana can see her go up to her tables with a fake smile plastered on her face. Sure, she remembers when that douche bag guy was trying to get all up on her girlfriend. She wanted to kill him. And then when she saw Brittany had him in her phone still, well, she shivers at the memory.

Her thumb grazes against metal on her left hand ring finger and she looks down at the promise ring Brittany had given her a few years ago. The band is a little worn, but it is still as beautiful and elegant as the night that Brittany had slipped it on her finger. She brings it up to her eye line and half smiles at the sapphire stone glistening back at her, only to be reminded by the vibrating in her apron that her blue eyed beauty is not very happy with her.

Tightening her Nelson's regulation pony tail, she pushes her way through the double swinging doors and into the dining room. Inwardly she rolls her eyes and bites her tongue when she is instantly flagged over to a table by one of the restaurant guests. With the fake smile she used all those years of being a cheery Cheerio back in Ohio, she asks the older woman if there's anything that she can get for her. Just like the past couple of hours of work some old hag is complaining about the air conditioning. This makes Santana's skin crawl, but she nods and tells the woman she'll look into shutting it off, which she really won't actually do.

A few hours and a bunch of annoying senior citizens later, Quinn and Santana hit the streets, heading home during the late afternoon. Santana walks along side her best buddy in silence while the other girl gabs on the phone with her own midget girlfriend. Out of habit and slight boredom with having to listen to Quinn sweet baby talk Rachel Berry, she looks down at her phone to see a bunch of text messages from her school mate, Trish. Her lips twist in thought, she didn't think that her texting with Trish was at all affecting her romantic relationship with Brittany.

"Are you gonna text her back?" Quinn asks and brushes shoulders with Santana. The shorter girl looks over to see her friend is no longer on the phone and sending her a questioning arched eyebrow.

"It's not like we talk about personal shit." Santana defends and presses the lock button on her phone. "We only discuss school and tests, that's all." She scrunches her nose when Quinn lets out a light chuckle.

"Right, right." Quinn raises both eyebrows and placates her friend with a fake believing smile.

"Q, it's nothing for Brittany to worry about." She explains with a shrug and a shake of her head. "It's all completely innocent."

"If you say so." The blonde sing songs as they come to the corner in which they go their separate ways. "Maybe you should make your sweetheart a romantic dinner tonight. Make up for being a bit of a douche bag for the past month." Quinn offers, sending a wink and a smirk at Santana who rolls her eyes and sighs out a small laugh.

As Santana heads towards her apartment she decides to stop off at a coffee shop to get a Mocha Latte and maybe a small snack. Luckily, everyone else in the city had their coffee fix earlier in the day so there is barely a line and within five minutes she's picking up her cup from the barista. She grabs her cell phone out of her bag when she steps out of the shop and leans against on one of the outside bar tables. Setting her cup onto the table her thumb finds its way to her lips and she gently nibbles on her nail. Without another thought or nerve to cross through her body, she goes to Brittany's number and presses call.

"Hey." Brittany answers after two rings and sounds a little out of breath.

"Hey." Santana smiles into the phone, adjusting her cup on the uneven bar top she is standing at outside of the coffee shop. "How's your day been?" She asks, not too sure if she's treading on thin ice by trying to act as casual as possible. "You sound like you've been busy." She comments after a few long seconds and what sounds like Brittany was hard at work.

"Yeah, I just finished up my 3:30 class." She tells her girlfriend in an airy voice. "Little kids are crazy." Brittany giggles out, getting a small grin from Santana on the other end of the phone. "How was work?"

"It was work." Santana replies easily enough trying not to pay attention to the way her fingers are flicking the plastic cover of her coffee cup. "It's money though." She shrugs her shoulders at this statement because cash flow is nothing to complain about. "I'm almost home, want me to pick something up?" She wonders, already walking away from the shop, cup in hand. "Thai? Chinese? Sushi? Italian?" She suggests numerous dinner options, hoping that her rambling is cut off by a positive response.

"Oh." Brittany drawls out, making Santana wonder if she has to work late again or that perhaps she is thinking up a way to avoid her.

"I thought," Santana bites on her bottom lip, wondering what she wants to say, all the while trying to navigate through the busy city sidewalks. "I was thinking we could have a nice dinner and talk." She finally puts out there as she comes to a cross walk and stands in a sea of people waiting for the light to change or traffic to stop. Brittany lets out a deep breath and it takes someone shoving Santana out of the way for her to realize that the group of pedestrians is now crossing the street without her.

"I guess sushi sounds good." She finally answers, sounding a little less than enthused but Santana will accept any kind of response that is in the direction of 'yes'.

"Sweet." Santana cheers, even giving herself a little fist pump. "You want your usual?"

"Sure." Brittany tells her which puts a bit more pep in her step. "I just have to finish out some paper work, but I'll meet you at home. Love you."

"Love you too." She smiles and breathes out in relief.

When Santana gets back to the apartment, sushi dinner in hand, she notices that Brittany still isn't home from work yet. At first she's disappointed, but then she just figures this gives her some time to set up something semi romantic. She kicks her work shoes off, tosses her bag and keys onto the side table against the wall and carries dinner into the kitchen. The table is set for two within minutes, one candle Rachel gave them in the middle and a single red rose that Santana picked up from the bodega down the block.

Standing in the doorway that meets the hallway and living room, she stands there nibbling on her finger nails hoping everything is just right. Not too much, but just right. With a quick glance to the clock, Santana realizes she's been home for a good ten or so minutes and that she is still in her gross, smelly Nelson's uniform. There's obviously no time to shower, which doesn't really matter because Brittany is coming home straight from work anyway. For a moment she is distracted by her phone buzzing on the kitchen counter.

She can see by the screen as she walks over towards it, that it's a text message from Trish. It's a message that is about school, well study group, for next weekend before a big test. Santana takes in a deep breath and lets it out slow as she gets ready to respond. To her, this whole text messaging with a girl from school is not at all a big deal. Okay, maybe they talk a lot, but its crunch time this semester. It's nearly finals and Santana can't afford to make any mistakes when it comes to her grades. Sure, her parents have offered full financial assistance when it came to her education, but they also had stipulations with only paying for a full four years and nothing more.

So in reality, Santana's doing the best she can with that. While some college kids may have a bad semester here and there and have to take summer sessions and or winter sessions, she's got to get it all done in four years. Not one day more than that. And if her plans are to go off to some law school like her and Quinn have been talking about, she needs a kick ass GPA too. When it comes right down to it, any form of communication with Trish is all business and no pleasure.

Shaking her head back to the here and now, she sends out a quick response to Trish. She tells her they'll just talk about it after class this week. It's time to get out of her yucky Nelson's clothes and into something more comfortable for her night in with Brittany. On the way to their bedroom she starts taking her clothes off, pulling her shirt over her head and tosses it to the other side of the bed. She stands in front of her closet, head tilted to the side and hands on her hips.

She wonders if she should put on something nice, it's been a while since she and Brittany has had a nice date like night at home. But at the same time she wants to be casual comfy because she had such a long day at work and she's sure Brittany is going to want the same. So, with that thought, she pulls out a plain black tank top from her closet and grabs a pair of Brittany's old cheer camp sweats from their dresser. She goes into their en suite bathroom, pulls her hair tie out, freeing her hair from its constraints and then applies some lip gloss. Even though she's in lounge about clothes, doesn't mean she can't make it look hot.

Just as she's screwing the cap back on her lip gloss, she hears the door to their apartment open and the sound of Brittany's keys being placed onto the side table. Santana steps back to get a better, fuller look at herself in the mirror and runs her fingers through her hair one last time before turning around and meeting her girlfriend out in the living room. When she gets there she finds Brittany standing in the doorway of the kitchen with a small smile on her face.

"Hey sweetheart." Santana greets, instantly catching Brittany's attention.

"Hi." The blonde replies. "This is nice." She motions towards the kitchen table and its set up. Santana looks over and nods, letting her hand easily slip into Brittany's.

"Well," She starts and slowly leads them into the kitchen. "It occurred to me that we've both been so busy, we haven't really been making enough time for one another." She explains, but sees the way Brittany's head hangs a bit and she feels her hand loosen in her own. "Okay, I haven't been paying enough attention to you." Santana rewords, stepping right in front of Brittany and takes her other hand, bringing their clasped hands to her chest. The blonde nods subtlely, twists her lips and glances over her girlfriend's shoulder at the table set for two. "You hungry?" She smirks.

"Starved." Brittany chuckles out making Santana grin from ear to ear.

"Come on let's eat." She says and pulls her other half to her chair which she pulls out for her.

With their wine glasses full, Santana sets the bottle down beside the platter of sushi and takes her seat across from Brittany. They smile at one another and at the wonderful array of food in front of them. Brittany grabs the chopsticks that Santana offers her and pulls them apart, already eyeing up the spicy tuna roll calling her name. Her girlfriend watches her as she sticks her tongue to the corner of her mouth while she works her utensils, moving food to her plate.

"Is this low sodium?" Brittany asks, motioning to the dish of soy sauce in her hand as she mixes some wasabi into it.

"Mhmm." Santana hums in response, swallowing the wine she was in the middle of sipping.

"God, I'm so hungry." She groans as she enjoys her dinner.

"So," Santana chimes in after a few minutes of quiet eating. "You have your end of the year show coming up." She points out, getting a nod from Brittany confirming her statement. "How's that going?" She asks, lifting her wine glass to her lips as she waits for her girlfriend to finish the food in her mouth.

"Um," Brittany takes a quick sip of wine and clears her throat. "It's been pretty stressful." She shrugs her shoulders as she sets her wine glass back down and reaches for some more food with her chopsticks. "I have the music, the steps and all that. It's just the kids…" She pauses when the sound of Santana's cell phone buzzing from the counter interrupts her. "They, uh, they're getting it some days and others not so much." She turns her focus back to her plate when the vibrating noise comes into the kitchen again.

"That sucks." Santana points out, ignoring her phone interruptions. Brittany nods, still with her eyes on her food watching her chopsticks pushing around a sushi roll. "Well, you're a good teacher so, I'm sure it'll be great." She smiles when she finally gets a small grin from the blonde.

"I sure hope so." Brittany sighs and leans back in her chair, trying her best to let herself relax in her own home. "I mean, it's for my final project at school too. If I can't pull it off then," She slowly shakes her head and twists her lips, not wanting to think of the possibilities. "If I don't get any offers after graduation, then I don't know what I'll do."

"The studio loves you." Santana points out matter of factly. "Regardless of what offers you get from any other company or whatever, they'd be foolish not to ask you to stay."

Just as Brittany is about to say something back that Santana is sure was going to be something sweet, her cell phone vibrates on the counter for the third time. Brittany closes her eyes as she is in the middle of rolling them, drops her chopsticks onto her plate and presses her fingers into her temple. She groans out a sigh of annoyance and clenches her jaw.

"_Just answer her already_." Brittany tells her in a low and obviously controlled tone, Santana's eyes widen at this.

"Britt." Santana says softly, reaching her hand across the table to grab at Brittany's wrist to get her attention, but the blonde doesn't let her touch her when another message alert buzzes through the phone. She retracts her hand, sets it flat on the table and takes in a deep breath before pushing her chair back and going to grab the night's constant distraction.

She isn't sure if she was actually supposed to get up and get her phone, but it's a little too late because she's already holding it in her hands. Her eyes flicker in Brittany's direction when she sees that the texts are in fact from 'her'. The blonde is staring at the kitchen table, her head in her hands and her jaw is obviously clenching and unclenching.

Instead of responding to the texts, she powers her phone down and places it back to where it was. She leans her hands on the counter top and takes a few moments to figure out how to rectify this obvious miscommunication between her and Brittany.

"Look," Santana starts, still facing the cabinets keeping her back to Brittany. "I don't know what's wrong if you don't tell me."

"You should know." Brittany tells her calmly and the other girl scoffs.

"I'm not some magical feelings mind reader Brittany." She argues with frustration, finally turning around to look at her girlfriend who is still looking everywhere but in her direction. "You know I'm practically blind to the feelings of others. I mean, look at the way I treat Berry. It's like I only feel accomplishment when I see a tear glistening in her eye." She shrugs, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So what? Are you waiting to make me cry?" Brittany spits out, clearly upset at her girlfriend's obliviousness. She turns her head and stares at her in complete confusion. Santana tilts her head, her face softens and she pushes herself from the counter.

"That's not…" Before she can finish, Brittany cuts her off.

"Consider yourself accomplished." She hisses as she brushes past Santana, storms through the kitchen and into the living room.

"Where are you going?" Santana calls after her, following her through their apartment. The blonde flails her arms and spins around to face her girlfriend. "Brittany, _what_ is going on with you?" She asks, shaking her head in disbelief at how distraught Brittany has become in less than five minutes.

"Every night that you come home after your study group," The dancer begins as tears start to trickle down her cheeks and her shoulders slump. "It's like…" She huffs and runs her fingers through her hair and tightens her ponytail. "You're _so_ sexual." Santana's eyebrows furrow and she slowly crosses her arms over her stomach, not quite following her girlfriend's train of thought. "It's like, you come home and you just want to have sex."

"You're my _girlfriend_." Santana firmly states, interrupting Brittany's mini speech. "Of course I want to have sex with you." She shrugs her shoulders, her mouth opens and closes a few times when Brittany doesn't go right back into her rant because she can't think of what to say. "At least _one_ of us feels that way. It's like you don't even want me to touch you these days."

"We are both so busy and I get that." Brittany slowly and calmly states. "We barely have time to hold an actual conversation and it's like when we get that, you're worried about getting me naked than ask me how my day was." She tries to explain and wipes her cheek with the back of her hand. "And all I can keep thinking is, well…" She closes her eyes, pushing out a two tear drops as she does so and takes a soothing breath inward. "During the day when we are around each other you're practically glued to your phone, talking to _that girl_ from school. And it's like, after you see _her_ at your study group sessions, you're super turned on." Her lower lip quivers when she finally looks at Santana and she tries to fight frowning, but it's inevitable. Santana's face screws up, her jaw nearly drops and her arms fall from her stomach to her sides. "I haven't been able to… I just keep thinking that you're imagining Trish."

"_Brittany_." Santana finally jumps in and steps to Brittany who lets herself be engulfed by her girlfriend's body. The tall dancer falls into the shorter girls arms and cries into her neck. "That seriously couldn't be farther from the truth." She whispers as she gently smoothes her hands up and down Brittany's back. "You should know that you're the only one who gets me super hot and makes my panties wet." She hopes that being completely honest even though lewd might lighten the mood. So when Brittany lets out a muffled chuckle she half smiles. "You're the love of my life babe." She assures the girl in her arms. "My best friend in the whole wide world." Brittany sniffles, wipes her face on Santana's shoulder and pulls back to look into her girlfriend's eyes.

"Me too." She breathes out and leans forward to press their foreheads together. Santana grins and leans in to push her lips to Brittany's. They slowly kiss one another for a few moments, just enjoying their lips lingering longingly on the others. "I'm sorry." Brittany whispers after a few final pecks.

"No apologies Britt." Santana shakes her head, lifting her hand to tuck some blonde hair behind Brittany's ear. "Like you've said before, we work because we work together." They smile at one another and lean in for another sweet, long kiss.

* * *

><p>Santana comes home from a long day at work to find her girlfriend lying on the couch. She tosses her bag to the table, kicks her shoes off and practically rips her jacket from her body, letting it fall to the floor. They smile at one another, the television show the blonde had previously been half watching half using to distract herself, is lost on both of them. Brittany opens her arms, a wordless invitation for Santana to fall on top of her and become embraced by her girlfriend.<p>

"Mmm." Brittany hums when Santana's body covers her own, and her arms encircle around the smaller girl's tiny waist with ease. She runs her hands up and down the Latina's back, bunching and un-bunching the fabric of her shirt with each motion. "Hey baby." She whispers into dark hair and she grins when she feels Santana's lips curl into a small smile against her neck.

"Hi." Santana mumbles and shuffles her body to curve even more perfectly into and onto Brittany's.

"Want me to tickle your back?" The blonde asks as she finds her fingers slipping beneath her girlfriend's shirt. Santana nods and shoves her hands under the pillow that Brittany's head is resting on. "Take your shirt off, it's easier and I can get by your neck." She tells her, pushing her hands up further under the gray t-shirt Santana has on and brushes her fingertips by the base of her neck to get that spot she loves so much.

With a grunt, not wanting to move right now, Santana pushes herself up so she is straddling Brittany's lap and peels her t-shirt from her body and tosses it to the ground by the coffee table. But, as she is about to let her body come back down to meet Brittany's, the blonde presses her hand to her shoulder and motions for her to remove her bra as well. She doesn't think twice, this is something they do often, and though more often than not it turns sexual, it's not the intended plan; for the most part.

"Okay, come here." Brittany waves her back down to lay on top of her completely topless. Santana gives her a tired but appreciative smile and slowly rests her now naked chest down to rest against her girlfriend's soft cotton t-shirt.

"That feels nice." Santana sighs, a smile comes to her face which Brittany can feel against her shoulder making her grin in return. She continues to press her fingers into her girlfriend's back, pushing into the spots she knows Santana always asks for more attention to whenever they do this.

When Santana's hands begin to wander Brittany giggles and squirms under the other girl's touch. She kisses at Santana's neck and ear lobe as the hands become more adventurous, running under her shirt. The body on top of hers starts to rock slowly into her own and her own hands begin to slow down until they are stilled at Santana's lower back. Their mouths meet when Santana turns her head and they sweetly kiss one another as their breathing becomes heavier with each motion they make.

Soon enough, the massage turns into something more and the noises coming from their lips are louder than before. Hips grind up and down and into one another and hands are pulling at skin and clothing that remains a barrier. Their forehead's press together and they grin at one another, their breath mixing together in the minimal space between them.

Brittany brings her lips to Santana's shoulder, pressing a soft and slightly wet open mouthed kiss to the skin there. The shorter girl hums out a moan of approval and her fingers begin to massage deeper, harder into the blonde's sides and back. Santana's lowers her head, letting her own lips ghost against her girlfriend's neck, and pokes her tongue out for a quick taste. The blonde sighs out sharply, her back arches subtlely up and into the girl hovering over her.

Pale hands run down a tanned back, with fingertips and nails digging into the flesh with need. Brittany's thumbs hook into the waistband of Santana's pants while her fingers reach out and squeeze her girlfriend's voluptuous bottom. She moans louder than before, and grinds her hips down and into Brittany's.

Santana's body falls limp to Brittany's, their chests move in and out of sync as they try to steady their breathing. They giggle, push their heads into one another's adoringly and set sloppy kisses to where ever they can reach. Brittany runs her hands and fingers up and down Santana's back, slipping and sliding against the slick from sweat skin.

The dark haired girl lazily reaches up to the back of the couch and slowly pulls the throw blanket down to cover their naked bodies. Brittany tugs at the edges, settling it over Santana and herself as best she can. She kisses the top of her girlfriend's damp hairline and wraps her arms around her tightly as she takes in a deep breath. Santana sighs, comfortably, rests her head on Brittany's chest and listens to her heart pounding against her ear.

"That," Brittany giggles, finally stilling her hands at the small of Santana's back. "Was like those times in high school." She muses as she nudges her nose into her girlfriend's hair and breathes in her scent. Santana smiles lazily at the blonde's statement, remembering those times she is referring too.

"God," Santana breathes out softly. "We would be watching 'Keeping Up With the Kardashian's' on DVR and end up dry humping on the couch." She recalls several moments of their after school get togethers. Brittany laughs airily, and lets her eyes fall shut at the feeling of Santana's fingers lightly tickling just at the sides of her rib cage.

"Or completely naked." The blonde adds as an afterthought, considering their current lack of clothing.

"Hmm." Santana hums, and places a soft kiss to her girlfriend's chest. They stay silent for a few moments, simply enjoying their post coital bliss and the feeling of one another's hearts slowing down.

"Is it still as good as it was then?" Brittany asks, slowly and quietly, turning her head a bit to look at Santana.

"What?" Santana whispers in confusion, a smile still on her lips, and her brow furrows. She shifts her hand beneath her chin, flattening her palm to her girlfriend's chest and focuses onto her blue eyes.

"The sex?" Brittany clarifies, almost sure it was fairly obvious what she meant to begin with. Santana grins, tilts her head to the side and as she opens her mouth to speak while Brittany lifts her hand from her lower back up to brush some dark hair from her forehead.

"No." She replies, but is quick to cup Brittany's face with one of her hands as her smile falls. "It's better." They smile goofily at one another, giggling at how incredibly in love they are, and feel at this moment. "I," Santana starts, her smile falters for a moment, but only because she's nervous. "Britt…" Her mouth opens and closes a few times, while Brittany smiles, waiting patiently for her girlfriend to continue. After a few more seconds of her stammering over sounds and silence, Santana chooses to breath out a cute laugh and soft smile. "I love you." Brittany chuckles, smoothes out Santana's hair and nods.

"I love you too." The blonde assures her girlfriend, leaning her head from the pillow to press a quick stretched kiss to her lips.

"Forever." Santana whispers against Brittany's lips.


	26. Chapter 26

"Oh come on, _I_ was so gonna sing that song tonight." Blaine whines, tugging on Kurt's hand as they come to a halt in front of Mick's. Kurt smiles at his boyfriend's charm and the way his perfectly gelled hair shines under the moonlight. "You know, when I was in high school, I put a boy band together for the talent show and we won the whole thing with that very song." He explains with a cute tilt of the head and All American boy grin.

"Fine." Kurt throws his head back in defeat. "You can have 'Teenage Dream', but you will never take 'Firework'. Rachel Berry would fight you to the death." He chuckles, even if he is being completely serious. "Now, come on. I've already gotten three texts from Santana and Brittany asking us to come save them from Rachel taking over the whole night." He pulls on Blaine's hand to lead them into Mick's and the crowd for Thursday night karaoke.

The bar is nicely packed out and they are greeted by two girls singing 'Respect' by Aretha Franklin. Blaine follows close behind while Kurt guides them through the sea of people, making sure to look from the wall to the bar in order to find his group of gal pals. He squeezes his fingers around his boyfriend's hand and glances over his shoulder to mouth 'over there'. With a flick of his head, Blaine's eyes follow the direction and finds Brittany and Santana standing close to one another by a table where Quinn and Rachel are sitting. He smirk to himself because Rachel has one of the giant binders filled with song choices spread out across the bar's most likely dirty from liquor table.

"Hey girls." Kurt greets his friends and pulls Blaine to his side.

Brittany and Santana turn their heads away from each other and smile when they see that it's Kurt and Blaine who have interrupted their intimate conversation. The former reaches out with her free hand to grab her best guy friend in to a sideways hug by the shoulder while the latter gives his dreamboat boyfriend a head nod. Quinn looks up from the song book and sends the boys an excited smile as well as an eye roll in her girlfriend's direction but with adoring amusement.

"We got a pitcher." Santana breaks the comfortable silence, lifting said pitcher to the boys and looks between the two of them. "Get a glass from Garrett." She tells them with a nod of her head towards the guy standing behind the bar. Kurt follows her line of vision and nods but Blaine just scrunches his nose and shakes his head.

"You're not drinking tonight?" Kurt asks.

"I am, I'm just in the mood for something fruity." He explains with a sparkle in his eye at the thought. Santana laughs and places the pitcher back down to the table.

"Too easy." She says to Brittany who giggles and shakes her head at her girlfriend's ability to still be able to come up with the obvious gay joke, even after all these years.

"I can't find it." Rachel exclaims, her disappointment clear to everyone standing by the table. "They had all of Barbra's classics just two weeks ago. This has got to be a mistake." She huffs, once again flipping through all of the pages to start at 'B' for Barbra.

"And they probably took her out because you've ruined the 'Funny Girl' soundtrack for everyone within a two mile radius." Santana says as she lifts her pint glass to her lips and gets a pointed look from Quinn who is sitting right across from her.

"What are _you_ going to sing tonight?" Brittany asks with a whisper in Santana's ear, causing heat to creep up her neck and then down the rest of her body. She grins, kisses Brittany's cheek and squeezes her hand.

"It's a surprise." She winks and takes another sip of her beer, licking her lips to remove any foam that lingers. Brittany playfully rolls her eyes and bites on the tip of her tongue as she stares adoringly at the way Santana's lips move when she turns to say something to Quinn.

Kurt goes off with Blaine to the bar to get his man that fruity drink he is in the mood for, leaving the other three to try and steal the song book away from Rachel. When the boys return, Brittany goes up with Blaine to the karaoke DJ to put his name down for his jam, 'Teenage Dream'. While they're up there, Quinn and Santana manage to talk Kurt into going up a little later and singing a song with them. He instantly agrees and steps back to show some light dance moves they can all do together to make it look uniform.

With a nod and a not so subtle eye roll, Santana waves her hands to get him to stop because their significant others are on their way back and she doesn't need Brittany to give him any ideas on dances they can do. About a month ago, Brittany had somehow managed to talk Santana into doing the 'Cupid Shuffle' with her on the small stage while Kurt and Quinn sang along.

"Santana," Blaine sidles up beside her, drink in hand and colorful straw between his fingers. "How's that Political Science class going?" He asks seeming genuinely interested. His eyes flicker in a sort of panic when he hears a small 'oh no' coming from Kurt's direction. "It's just," He glances to Kurt who shakes his head and then to Quinn who is waving her hand in front of her as if to say 'no'. "I remember you saying… you were having issues a while back." He tilts his head to the side not sure if he looks confused, interested or constipated and frankly neither can Santana or Brittany, or anyone else for that matter.

"Actually," Santana drawls out and looks over her shoulder to where Blaine keeps glancing at. "I'm doing pretty good." She smiles at him and then to Brittany when she feels her girlfriend's hand grab her own.

"Cool. I guess those study groups are paying off." He adds feeling that he's done a good job at trying to connect with his boyfriend's friends. But then he's not so sure when he watches Brittany's eyes look down, Santana's look away from the group and the other three looking at the table while shaking their heads.

"Yeah, I've been working really hard." She answers, her smile a little less bright than it was a few moments ago.

Santana then turns away from the boy, pulling Brittany along with her and pretends to find something interesting in the bar. Blaine stands there, drink in hand and confused look on his face. He steps up to the table where Rachel, Kurt and Quinn just give him a look of pity.

"He doesn't know any better." Kurt informs his girlfriends, who shrug and nod in understanding. "I'll tell you later." He assures his boyfriend, placing his hand on top of Blaine's and gives it a light tap.

"Just no more questions." Quinn adds as a warning. Blaine looks from her to Kurt who is shaking his head to say 'yeah, no more questions'.

"You know, it really shouldn't be taboo to bring up school." Rachel tells the group, clearly citing her views on the topic. "I mean, really, what is the big deal anyway?" She huffs in frustration. "Wasn't it just a big misunderstanding?" She asks and looks to Quinn.

"Apparently last week," The blonde starts and leans to the middle of the table so that the conversation remains 'hush, hush'. "Santana told Brittany to just look through her messages." She tells them and shrugs her shoulders at why that would even be an option.

_Brittany accepts to see Santana's cell phone and read through not so new and new text messages to and from Trish. Santana nervously waits, rubbing her fingers into her forehead as she watches Brittany's facial expressions._

"_You're flirting back." Brittany says in disbelief and Santana's face screws up._

"_No I'm not. I wasn't." Santana assures her._

"_Santana, you have texts from two in the morning that say otherwise." Brittany points out, still scrolling through the group of saved messages. "Did…" She powers the phone down and lets it rest between her palms and looks away. "Do you want to have sex with her?" _

"_**No**__." Santana chokes out instantly. "No." She repeats, getting Brittany to look back to her._

"_But, you've thought about it." It's more of a statement than a question. Santana's mouth opens, her brow furrows and her head tilts to the side._

"_Brittany," She finally finds her voice, grabs the phone from her girlfriend's lap and sets it down on the table. "The only person I think of like that is you." She explains and tries to place her hand on Brittany's, but she pulls away. "Even if I did," She shrugs her shoulders. "It's not like it meant anything. I mean, I've thought about how sex would be like with Earl the mail guy at work. Obviously I'm not having sex with Earl."_

"_This isn't a joke." Brittany rolls her eyes and gets up from the coffee table. "You think that if you make jokes and snarky 'Santana' comments that it's okay." She shakes her head to herself. Santana has always been like this, using sarcasm and random facts to lessen the tension. She usually appreciates this about her, but right now Brittany is finding it difficult to find it cute or funny._

"I seriously never thought trust would be an issue with those two." Kurt comments as he nods at Quinn's not so new information, letting his eyes flit over to the girls in question.

"It's _not_ between _them_." Quinn reminds the boy and he does see where his friend is going with this. "It's that fucking girl." She rolls her eyes in annoyance at the current issue in her best friends' relationship.

"Santana probably just likes the attention." Rachel says as she skims through the song book, not really to anyone in particular but the comment causes Quinn to jerk her head back.

"Wow, Rach. Harsh much?" She asks in disappointment at her girlfriend's attitude towards her best friend. Rachel lets out a scoff of a chuckle and looks up as she turns a page in the binder.

"I'm sorry, but are we talking about the same girl here?" Rachel inquires, clearly in jest. "I'm pretty certain we are. Ya know, Santana Lopez, the girl who got a boob job junior year just so people would 'notice' her more." Blaine furrows his brow and turns to Kurt.

"Santana has fake boobs?" He asks in a hushed tone. Kurt holds his hand up between them as if to say 'not now', but then leans closer.

"They feel like those amazing pillows in the Martha Stewart Collection." He tells his boyfriend who responds with an arched eyebrow noting his intrigue. "Whether they feel 'real' or not is beyond me."

"And if I remember correctly, she's the same girl who helped get us together." Quinn points out and effectively Rachel is rendered speechless. "And right now, I'm not sure if I should thank her or yell at her for it." She adds and then turns on her heels, leaving the table down to three.

"Well, that was un-called for." Rachel mumbles quickly before going back to the song book.

Except for the random tension at the beginning of the night, it was a pretty top notch time for all involved. As Santana and Brittany walk to their apartment arm in arm laughing at the apparent 'dance moves' Kurt had forced the former into. Brittany couldn't help but grin from ear to ear and squeal when her girlfriend, her other best friend that's a girl and her best guy friend started serenading their significant others with One Direction's 'What Makes You Beautiful'.

"Seriously honey, you were so fucking adorable." Brittany tells Santana and places a kiss to her cheek when she sees her smile.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better." Santana mumbles, pretending she's not at all grinning.

"I promise, nobody saw you almost fall." The blonde assures her and rests her head to her girlfriend's for a moment. "Besides, I caught you." She reminds her with a proud smirk and this garners a laugh from Santana.

"My hero." She turns her head and lets her lips find the corner of Brittany's mouth for a quick peck. "Hey," She nudges her shoulder gently into Brittany's and then lowers her arm so that they can hold hands. "I was thinking that instead of going back to Lima this summer for a week, we go on our own little vacation." Santana suggests. She smiles when she sees the corners of Brittany's mouth turn up to match her very expression.

Truth is, especially with everything that's come up recently, Santana has been wanting to go on a nice, romantic vacation with her girlfriend. They haven't gone away since sophomore year of college for Spring break with Quinn and Rachel. Also, she doesn't quite consider their trips back to Lima as hot vacation spot where their accommodations are either the basement at the Lopez house or Brittany's childhood bedroom. Though both have proven to not really have an effect on their intimate moments, she's just really looking for some perfect and _real_ alone time for them.

"That would be really great baby, but," Brittany starts softly and pulls affectionately on Santana's hand as they get closer to their apartment. "Can we afford it?" Santana's lips twist, only because she knew that this would definitely be a part of this conversation.

"We can make it work." She offers, figuring that no matter where they go it wouldn't matter as long as they are together. "I was thinking we could always drive the truck if we need to." She lifts her head when they reach the crosswalk to make sure it's safe for them to walk. "I was kind of leaning towards Disney." Her smile only widens when she sees her girlfriend's eyes sparkle at that one word.

"Ahh," Brittany squeals and practically dances as she walks. "Can we?" Santana giggles and shrugs her shoulder before leading Brittany up the curb and around the corner where their apartment building is.

"Well, let's make a plan then." She stands to the side as Brittany pulls out the keys to open the main door on the first floor. "Each week, we set aside some money for our super, awesome Disney road trip." Brittany once again yelps with excitement and all but throws herself into Santana as they walk towards the elevator.

* * *

><p>"Another 'Quinntana' night?" Rachel asks a week later with an eye roll as she looks over from her spot on the couch and finds Quinn taking the 'essentials' out of her purse. "Been happening a lot lately, should I be worried?" She smirks when Quinn chuckles, shakes her head and sends her girlfriend a half amused, half annoyed look.<p>

"The only thing you should be worried about is if Kurt decides to try and feng shui the apartment again." She comments as she shoves money and her ID into her back pocket. Rachel giggles and turns more on her side to watch Quinn toss her now useless to her bag at the foot of the coat rack.

"I feel a little out of the loop here Quinn." Rachel admits in a small voice. Quinn's brow furrows and she turns around to find her girlfriend looking down at her hands in her own lap. "I mean, you're going out almost every other night with Santana. Doing who knows what." She holds up one hand and Quinn knows what or who is going to be in the other hand. "Then there's Kurt who, when he's not with Blaine, is meeting Brittany at undisclosed locations." She blinks away that random fact and shakes her head not even trying to understand the top secret codes of Brittany's messages for Kurt.

Quinn sighs, crosses her arms loosely over her chest and nods in understanding. It's not like she wants to keep her girlfriend in the dark about everything. Truth is, Rachel _does_ have a small idea of what has been going on, or at least what went on a few weeks ago. But, Santana pretty much threatened Quinn's life if she at all repeated any of the conversations that went on between them. She gets why, Rachel has what some would call a 'big mouth'. It's unfortunate, because she would love to come back after a long night out with a sad, complaining Santana and give her girlfriend a play by play.

"It's just personal stuff." Quinn tries to explain and the face Rachel makes kind of hurts her heart. "Not _my_ personal stuff." She clarifies and it does lift the diva's spirits a bit. "Santana's just…" She can't seem to get the words 'going through a rough patch right now' out, because it would then become more obvious that it is somehow to do with Brittany. It's hard when she knows Rachel knows something is up, but isn't actually able to tell her.

"Just, try not to get in the middle of anything, okay?" Rachel warns. "Don't forget, Brittany is just as much your friend as Santana is." Quinn nods. It's true and she would never deny that much. It's just a difficult situation when the only person on the planet, besides Brittany, that Santana will show any kind of emotion to is Quinn.

"I won't be home late." She tells Rachel, walking over to the couch to lean over and press a kiss to her forehead.

"Or drunk." The brunette calls out with humor.

"Can't make any promises."

A few minutes away, Santana is doing the same as Quinn had been doing, pulling things from her bag that she's going to need for the night. She puts her lip gloss in her jackets inside pocket, ID and money in her jeans and then grabs her phone. She looks at it for a few long seconds and contemplates leaving home because she's just going out with Quinn for the night. At the end of those few long seconds she opts to just bring her phone because Brittany might text or call her and she doesn't need any added stress as to why she didn't respond to those hypothetical texts or calls.

"Is Quinn comin' here or are you meeting her out?" Brittany's voice coming from down the hall and into the living room catches her attention.

"Meeting." Santana answers, spinning around to lean against the couch with her hands at her sides. They smile at one another and Brittany steps in front of her, letting her hands grab at Santana's. "You know I love you, right?" She asks with a soft voice and tilts her head to the side, pressing a quick but soft kiss to her girlfriend's lips. Brittany grins, leans forward to bring their lips together again, and nods into the slightly longer kiss. "Is Kurt coming over?" Santana questions between kisses.

"No." Brittany tells her, finally pulling back and moves her hands from Santana's to the strings of her girlfriend's sweatshirt. "Actually, I invited some dance friends over." Just as Santana is going to respond, her cell phone goes off peaking both of their interests. Brittany's more than hers.

"It's Quinn." Santana says, even though Brittany didn't ask. But, she can feel those eyes on her wondering who it is every time her phone goes off. "I should probably go." She groans and wraps her arms around Brittany's waist, pulling her close against her own body. "Have fun tonight boo." Santana whispers against Brittany's neck as she kisses the skin there.

"Mmm, you too." The blonde giggles as she squirms under Santana's touch and kisses her under her ear in defense.

After a cab ride from her apartment, Quinn finally gets to the bodega just a few minutes away from the park and instantly spots Santana standing there waiting for her. As usual, her friend has gotten started without her as she spots the wispy cloud of smoke stream from Santana's lips thanks to the menthol cigarettes she's most likely just purchased. She grins with anticipation when she also sees the two large, forty shaped brown paper bags clutched close to Santana's side.

"Hey buddy!" Quinn calls out when she's a few feet away and catches Santana's attention right away. "I swear," She shakes her head as she accepts the cigarette that her friend offers her. "I think Rachel is starting to catch on with this." She lifts the smoke in her hand to point out what she is referring to. "I can only say 'I just walked through a crowd smoking outside of a bar' so many times until it starts sounding like a horrible country song." Santana chuckles as she is holding the cigarette between her lips as she flicks the lighter to light Quinn's.

"Ready?" Santana asks and hands one of the two brown paper bags over to Quinn, who nods as she accepts it. "Let's go."

"Ya know," Quinn interrupts their short lived silence while they head over towards the benches. "After all this time that we've been doing this, I don't think I have ever asked you if you and Brittany have a bench." She tilts her head to the side, letting this realization really sink in. "I mean, we have about three that we rotate." She adds as an afterthought while she waits for an answer as well for Santana to pick the bench they are going to take up for the evening.

"Yeah, we have a bench." Santana sighs as she finally picks one of their three spots and looks over for her friend to join her.

"Is it one of these?" Quinn wonders as she gets settled and unscrews the top to her beer.

"Nah, we have our own private one Fabray." She replies before sipping her drink, staring out in front of them but can feel her friend's curious eyes on her. "I feel like," Quinn takes a deep but quiet breath, she wasn't sure if they were going to get right into things but apparently they are. "I feel like I'm a disappointment." She hangs her head, so she can't see the confused look on the other girl's face.

"What would make you say that?" Quinn jerks her head back as she asks the question.

She's never thought something like this would ever come out of Santana's mouth. So, to actually hear it is not only surprising but equally sad and depressing. She watches as Santana chugs her beer for a few moments, and she follows suit figuring she better get prepared for some serious 'feelings' talk. She knows that whenever they go to the benches at Santana's request, it's really code for 'feelings'. "Do you mean to Brittany?"

"No." She shakes her head, swigs some more beer and then takes a drag of her smoke. "Not _just_ her." She admits.

"Sorry S, but I really can't read between the lines here."

"I've just," Santana huffs, clearly frustrated with having to deal with these awful things called 'emotions' and trying to put them into words. "I feel horrible with this crap I've been thinking lately." Quinn's eyes widen and she decides the best way to avoid blurting out something stupid is to suck down some alcohol. "It's nothing you might be thinking." She quickly waves her hand in the air, as though to erase some bad ideas Quinn may have been coming up with. "I've just been getting really frustrated the past couple of weeks, two months or however long it's been." Her hand hits her leg and she glances over at Quinn who takes another long gulp. "I know B loves me. I love her. I feel like I'm just waiting for her to like… I don't know."

"I thought you and B, like, made up?" Quinn finally asks, feeling slightly confused at Santana's current state.

"We did, but," She shrugs her shoulders, brings her hands up to press her fingers into her eyes and lets out a sigh. "Now, I'm like, worried about upsetting her."

"Then don't do anything stupid." Quinn tells her flatly which gets her a glare from Santana.

"Every time I'm texting _anyone_ from school or you or work, I feel like she's judging me or our relationship." Santana tries to explain her recent concerns. "I mean, I shouldn't have to be sneaky about it." She tugs at the paper bag concealing her beverage as she listens to the noisy city silence and waits for a response.

"That would hurt her more." Quinn says with ease and honesty.

"Right, but, on the other hand, am I supposed to tell her _every_ time I'm talking to anyone who isn't her?" She points out because that would not only be exhausting but super grating on Brittany's nerves when said texts are from a certain classmate.

"Unfortunately Santana, you've managed to jam yourself between a rock and a hard place." Quinn sighs and glances out at the rest of the parks inhabitants, which isn't much. "You shouldn't hide texting classmates or friends. That seems super shady and makes you look guilty." Santana slumps her shoulders, nods in agreement and slowly lifts her drink to her waiting lips. "_But_, on the flipside, Brittany is clearly insecure about your relationship with that girl."

"_Relationship_?" Santana spits out incredulously, nearly jumping from her spot on the bench. "We have a few classes together and she's in charge of setting up our study sessions. I'd _barely_ call us friends." She clarifies with a huff and crosses her arms over her chest, making sure to not spill or tip her drink.

"Whatever." Quinn sighs and rolls her eyes as she chugs for a few seconds. "Those are tiny details. In Brittany's head, this girl is a threat." She explains with a motion of her hand. "No matter _what _you say or how much you try to break it down for her. Britt is still going to have her mind spinning about it all."

"How am I supposed to ease her mind then?" Santana wonders aloud, desperate to find anything to stop the ever so obvious strain on her relationship with her girlfriend. "I should be allowed to have communication with people outside of Britt and our little family of friends, no offense." Quinn's lips twist and she nods. Santana's argument is completely valid. There should be no reason for her to not venture out of their little Lima clique and form other bonds. The only problem for Brittany is the intentions of potential friends.

"Of course you are allowed to have other friends, hang out and talk to them on the phone or text them." She explains, but with caution. Quinn doesn't want to come off as being completely on 'Team Santana'. "_But_," She drawls out, quickly catching Santana's full attention. "Constant communication with someone you only recently have become 'close' to," She is sure to use air quotes when saying the word 'close' as she's using the term loosely. "From Brittany's perspective could be seen as flirting." Santana's face screws up and she slowly shakes her head.

"I wasn't aware that discussing what the affect our atrocious economy has on third world countries was considered flirting." Santana states with irritation and throws back some more of her forty ounce, which is quickly dwindling down to not much.

"Santana, don't play dumb with me." Quinn calls her out and receives a half of an eye roll in return. "There's no way in hell that this girl is texting you random history crap facts all day long." She says pointedly. "Brittany told me the other night that texts from Trish totally interrupted your 'sweet lady love time'." Santana hangs her head and runs her fingers through her dark hair.

"What am I supposed to do then? Tell Trish to stop texting me?" She blurts out in frustration. "I mean, that'd be really bitchy of me." Quinn's eyes widen and she curiously stares at her friend.

"_Who are you_?" She asks in faux, and some real shock, then playfully punches Santana's shoulder. "You're Santana fucking Lopez. The fiercest and proudest bitch there ever was." She reminds her friend.

"We've just," Santana slumps in her seat, feeling defeated and tired. "We've been in a relationship for four and a half years, almost five." She holds her hand out to show off five fingers for emphasis. "Really, we've been together for longer than that. But, those four or five years, we've been with each other twenty-four-seven." She turns in her seat to fully face Quinn to show her how serious and honest she's being at the moment. "Literally _with_ each other. Yeah, there are you and dare I say it Berry. But," Santana leans her arm on the back of the bench, puts her cheek to her palm and sighs sadly. "What about my life outside of us? Do I have one? Do I even _get_ to have one?" She shakes her head, totally thrown off with everything she feels and if it's even fair of her to feel any of it.

"So," Quinn bites on her lower lip and scans her friend's expression. "You feel trapped?" She asks in a slow and steady, albeit, confused tone.

"I didn't say that." Santana's eyes shoot open wide and she sits up straighter. "That's _not_ what I mean. It's just," She looks to the side to gather her thoughts and runs her fingers through her hair. "I… she was my _only_ friend for a long time and somewhere down the road, we became more and I only know how to operate in a relationship with someone else in one of two ways. How I am with her and how I am with Rachel Berry." Quinn tries to hide her smirk at this statement while all the while trying to act hurt. "Sure, you're a huge exception but," Santana rolls her eyes when her friend smiles widely back at her, even if it's only short lived. "I don't know what anything is like without her. I'm trying to network myself socially and it's extremely difficult to do when she thinks I have an ulterior motive." When she sniffles and wipes a finger under the corner of her eye, Quinn knows that the alcohol is starting to get to her. "I _don't _like Trish. I'm not at all attracted to her or want anything other than friendship with her and I don't even know if I want that." Quinn tries to stifle a laugh because Santana is very anti-people so a line like this doesn't surprise her. "Out of anyone, I thought _she_ of all people would know that she is the only one I want. Do I not make it obvious enough?" It's a question she asks out loud, but it sounds more like she is asking the universe and not Quinn. "Do I need to get 'Property of Brittany Pierce' tattooed on me? Even if someone did want me, I _don't want_ them. It's as simple as that and I'm getting real tired of needing to assure her of this. I don't get what else it is I need to do for her."

Her shoulders slump some more into the bench and she takes a couple of sips of what's left of her drink. Quinn follows suit, but leaves a concerned eye on her friend as they sit in silence.

* * *

><p>Two days later, it's Kurt and Brittany who are having their alone time. They meet at a small café between their places that has become a sort of safe haven for them when discussing their relationships with one another. As always, Brittany is sitting in the corner booth waiting for Kurt, all ready with their drinks on the table.<p>

"Hey love bug." Kurt greets as he lifts his sunglasses from his eyes and sends his lady friend an adoring wink. She smiles back and slides his coffee drink over to his side of the booth. "Thanks." He lifts his cup to his lips and just watches the way Brittany sips her own beverage and glances around the small coffee shop. "So," Kurt starts, figuring he's just going to dive right into everything. "How are things?" Brittany's lips purse and she tilts her head to the side, letting her eyes watch her hand set her cup down to the table.

"Great." She replies with lackluster enthusiasm. "Good." She adds in an even lower tone and brings her eyes up to meet his. "Not so good." Brittany shrugs her shoulders and leans forward to rest her elbow to the table, then her chin to her hand. "I mean," She starts again, and Kurt remains quiet, ready for his girl to express herself. "I've never really been a super jealous person. Not like Santana." Her eyes widen a bit when she says this because out of all of the years she's known her girlfriend, she has seen some shades of green in her eyes a few times.

"I hate to even say it Britt," Kurt sets his cup down and weaves his fingers together in his lap. "But, I think you're short changing Santana a bit here." The corner of Brittany's mouth turns downwards. It's not to frown, but because the idea of this being true is rather distasteful to her. "I mean, we're talking about the girl who got off a plane headed for California just to be with you." He reminds her. "A girl who got a job as a waitress so she could stay here with you." He tilts his head and watches how Brittany nods her own. "Yeah, she's abrasive at times, but it's only because she's passionate. And, you are at the core of that passion."

"I know." Brittany sighs and reaches her hands out to grip at the sides of her latte cup. "I just…" She shakes her head from side to side, as though moving the thoughts around her mind to form a complete sentence. "When we were going through that trouble with my TA back in freshman year," Kurt nods, remembering this little rough patch between his best friend and her girlfriend. "She was so adamant about me not being alone with him and even came to classes for a while. But, it's like, now the tables have turned and she thinks I'm being unreasonable."

"Have you told her that it's not that you don't trust her, but that it's the other girl you don't trust?" Kurt inquires and in response Brittany covers her face with her hands and chuckles in frustration.

"I cannot believe I'm actually having a conversation about Santana and the 'other girl'." Her voice is so sad and all Kurt can do for her is offer his hand.

"You're jumping to conclusions Britt." He assures her. "I mean, have you ever even seen them interact?" He quirks an eyebrow and she shakes her head. "Well, if Santana is going to be friends with this girl, then you should probably meet her. She's met your dance friends right?"

"Yeah."

"So, suggest a night where you gather a few random friends to meet out with." He sips his coffee and smiles to himself when Brittany nods along with his idea. "Just explain to her that, maybe it would make you feel better if you actually met this girl and got to know her."

"Yeah." Brittany sighs out once more and shifts in her seat. "Enough about all this," She waves her hand in the air between them as though wafting away the prior topic of conversation. "How's the gay man sex with Blaine?" Nearly choking on his latte, Kurt wouldn't really mind staying on the topic of the Santana/Brittany relationship.

* * *

><p>As per Kurt's suggestion, a few days later, the gang as well as a few new faces meets over at a bar in a restaurant by NYU. Brittany had said that they need to get out and expand their social relationships because they are in some serious need of branching out. Plus, they should want to know who the other is hanging out with and be comfortable being in the same company.<p>

Kurt, Brittany and Santana sit at a high top in the front bar waiting for the rest of the random group that is about to gather. Blaine and Rachel weren't able to make, citing school issues as the reasoning for their absence, but two of Brittany's dance friends come walking through the door to make up for the other two.

Santana and Kurt have met Rikki and Alexis numerous times, so when they greet them it's as though they are saying 'hello' to their own friends and not Brittany's. The blonde smiles at the way her two best friends seem to accept her new friends so easily. It makes her wonder if she will be able to do the same with the fresh faces she is going to be meeting this very evening. Of course she's going to be her normal, friendly self, but she's also going to have a guard up when it comes to a specific person.

They are still on their first round of drinks when Trish shows up with two other girls from their study group. Trish makes a beeline for Santana, throwing her off balance and off guard at the sudden invasion of personal space. Her eyes flicker to Quinn because Brittany is actually standing behind her, which is probably better.

"Santana!" Trish cheers in excitement. "Finally a night out without books before or after the drinking." She laughs out which garners a small chuckle out of Santana as well as the other girls. "I love your top." She exclaims, taking a step back and openly staring Santana up and down.

"Thanks." Santana pulls herself free of Trish's embrace, wondering when they suddenly become touchy feely friends. Sure, they've grazed hands or something like that every now and again but this is not something she's used to. "You remember my girlfriend Brittany." She moves herself to Brittany's side, wraps her arm around her waist and uses her other hand to motion to the girl she's referring to.

"Yeah, I think I remember." Even if she doesn't, Trish at least is polite enough to pretend and she extends her hand out to shake Brittany's. Santana would like to think that makes up for the bum rush hug she's just gotten. "Trish." She says her name, but of course Brittany and pretty much everyone in their little Lima family know exactly who she is.

"Nice to meet you, again." Brittany smiles sweetly and pulls her hand back, letting it fall down between her and Santana's sides.

Quinn comes over to introduce herself to the ever infamous Trish and manages to remove Santana and Brittany from the equation by discussing some Political Science topics she's actually studying. The couple moves around the table so that Santana can introduce her beautiful girlfriend, which is the term she uses, to her other two classmates. It turns out that one of the girls from the study group knows Alexis because they went to dance camp together back when they were in middle school.

"What a small world." Santana comments with a laugh, glancing between the two who not only know each other already, but seem to get along famously.

"You know what's a small world?" Quinn's voice comes from over Brittany's shoulder. When the couple looks back at her she just nods with her head in the direction of the far wall that holds a few posters for Broadway and the off-Broadway shows.

"Wow." Santana lets out, seeming slightly impressed, but not enough to sound too enthused.

"Guess it's a good thing Rachel couldn't make it." Brittany points out as the three of them stare at an off-Broadway poster that clearly features Jesse St. James.

"Did you guys see that Jesse St. Suck poster?" Kurt asks in a loud and horrified voice as he rejoins the group after a trip to the bathroom. The three girls nod, shake their heads and turn their backs to the poster as though forming a silent protest.

"Ugh," Alexis comes from a different direction, entering the foursome's tiny circle. "I just saw a poster for some musical and right in the middle is a picture of my ex-boyfriend." She motions with her free hand towards the poster that Quinn, Santana, Brittany and Kurt were just purposely ignoring. Kurt tries to hide his smirk, Quinn does nothing to hide her wide eyes while Santana and Brittany let out their fits of giggles. "What?" She asks, suddenly self conscious and like she's just made a fool of herself.

"Wow, Lex, long story." Brittany throws her arm around her buddy's shoulder and pulls her into their circle where Kurt and Santana give a pretty detailed play by play about their knowledge of one Jesse St. James.

Apparently, about a year and a half ago, Alexis had gone to an audition for some dance troupe that was going to be traveling cross country to promote a dance studio that she's been interning at. After her third round of call backs she runs into this guy, Jesse St. James, who subsequently hits on her with some lame ass line from a musical and winds up getting her number. According to Alexis, their relationship had come to an end for a lot of the same reason that he and Rachel never worked out. Because the world revolves around Jesse St. James, well, in his mind it does.

"And I knew he was a spy, but no one wanted to believe me." Santana reminds her friends as she tosses back the rest of her wine and sets her now empty glass down on the table behind her.

"I did." Brittany murmurs as she sets her chin to rest on Santana's shoulder from behind her and wraps her arm around her waist.

"No," Kurt chimes in, waving his index finger in the air, stating that he recalls the story a little different. "_Rachel_ didn't want to believe you." Quinn nods in agreement, as do the other two.

"Hey anti-social." Trish comes through their little group with one of the girls she'd come with behind her and grabs at Santana's wrist. "Come do a shot with me." She tugs on her to join them. "My treat." Trish grins widely and wriggles her eyebrows while she wraps her fingers further around Santana's wrist. Brittany feels Santana move from her as the other girl pulls her away. "And we can do that shot I _know_ you love." Everyone can hear her voice trail off and the way that Santana lightly giggles. Brittany looks over her shoulder for a moment, watching the way her girlfriend is being dragged off to the bar with some other girl.

"She's not _so_ bad." Quinn offers, her voice just loud enough for Brittany and Kurt to hear her. "I mean, I definitely expected worse." She tilts her head to the side and scrunches her nose as Trish laughs, throwing her head back. Neither one of them can figure out if Santana had said something funny, probably likely, or that Trish just has a low threshold for humor and an annoying laugh.

Luckily, Brittany's attention gets stolen by Alexis and the other girl from Santana's study group, whose name she learns is Dina. However, Quinn and Kurt keep an eye on the 'friendly' shot Trish has seemed to buy for herself and Santana.

"Cowboy cocksucker." Kurt tells Quinn in a low voice and his words cause the blonde's eyebrows to rise to her hairline and jerk her head back. "It's the name of the shot." He waves her off, realizing it had pretty much sounded like he was naming a character from porn. Quinn nods, now understanding why the girls had done the shot without using their hands to get the glass in their mouth.

Getting bored, Kurt leaves Quinn's side to join in on the conversation Brittany and her dance friends are having about costumes for past recitals. But, as soon as he turns his back, that's when Quinn spots Trish lift her thumb to wipe some excess whipped cream off of Santana. Luckily, Santana jerks her head back and removes the creamy treat herself but that is so not the point. If Santana can't see that this girl is totally, one hundred percent, hitting on her then Quinn is going to have to break it down for her.

Grabbing her bag and leaving the group at the table, Quinn intercepts Santana while the two are making their way back to the table stating she's having a girlfriend crisis. But, Santana can tell by the look on her face and the tone in her voice that Quinn is completely fibbing. She still follows her to the bathroom though, because she is wondering what it is that is on her friends mind. Quinn holds the door open for Santana, as well as a girl who is leaving the bathroom, and then walks in.

"She's flirting with you." Quinn says once they are alone in the bathroom. Santana's eyes widen a little as she looks through her bag. She was hoping that's not what was going on.

"Do you think Brittany thinks that?" Santana asks, nervously because she's sure she knows the answer. Quinn swiftly turns towards Santana and leans her hand on the cold porcelain of the sink.

"I don't think so. Well, at least not yet." Quinn tells her, not at all being gentle about it and Santana winces, letting her own hands rest on the sink as well. She rolls her eyes, sighs and turns back to face the mirror. "Better get your shit together Lopez." Is the last thing she says before leaning forward and smacking her lips together.

Santana watches Quinn walk out of the bathroom, leaving her to her thoughts as well as her friend's words. Her shit is together. Or at least she thought it was. As she rummages through her clutch for her lip gloss, she thinks about her current circumstance. She leans towards the mirror to apply her gloss and sighs as she does so.

Perhaps Quinn is right. She thinks that maybe she is a bit guilty for letting someone who isn't Brittany shower her with compliments and actually find her interesting. Of course Brittany thinks she's interesting. She's her best friend _and_ her girlfriend. It's probably law she has to find Santana interesting.

Smacking her lips together and screwing the cap back to her lip gloss, Santana scans her reflection. She mulls over everything briefly and reasons that she shouldn't feel guilty for someone flirting with her. She's super fine and fucking awesome. Everyone should swoon. As long as she doesn't flirt back, Santana thinks that she's in the clear. If anything, she thinks as she snaps her clutch shut, Brittany should take this whole thing as a compliment and parade Santana around like the awesome, hot piece of ass she is.

When she gets back to the small group she's with, she notices the whole bunch of them are actually sitting at the table, not just standing around it. She easily finds her girlfriend and sidles up beside her chair, placing her clutch behind on the two glasses of wine in front of Brittany. Noticing Santana now closely by her side, Brittany sends her a tight lipped smile and motions to the glass of wine her clutch is resting beside.

"Oh, thanks baby." Santana coos as she reaches for the glass and presses a sweet peck to Brittany's cheek. She giggles when she pulls away because she's let a glossy smudge on her girlfriend's face. But, she's quick to lick her thumb and rub it off for her.

For a moment, Santana lowers her eyes to the contents of her glass, the sparkly jewel on her fingers makes her feel guilty. If this were the olden days, the ring on her finger would practically mean she is betrothed or whatever. This ring symbolizes not just one promise, but _so many_ promises.

She rests her head against Brittany's and purposefully brings her hand to the table, palm down. Snuggling into Brittany, she smiles at the way her girlfriend's arm snakes around her and pulls her closer. She drums her fingers on the table and subtly motions her head towards the table where her hand is and smiles when Brittany follows her line of vision. She brings her thumb to the band of the ring and wiggles it cutely, gaining a quick smooch on the cheek from Brittany in the process.

"So," Dina, the girl from Santana's, turns her attention towards Brittany. "I can't believe I'm finally meeting you." She smiles kindly at the blonde and sends a friendly grin in Santana's direction. "This girl," She points at Santana. "Practically turns into a pile of mush _whenever_ she talks about you." Brittany beams at Dina and then at her girlfriend who cozies up closer to her. "And I think it's safe to say that's a feat in itself." She chuckles and it's followed by two tiny giggles from the couple. "I remember the first time I met Santana in study group."

"Yeah," The other girl, Lauren, from school pipes in. "What was it that Trish said?"

"Oh, umm," Dina twists her lips in thought as she is clearly recalling the words of their friend. "Intimidating but intriguing." She playfully rolls her eyes and sips her drink. "Whatever that means."

"Or maybe she said intriguingly intimidating." Lauren offers an interesting play on words in a way that Brittany finds interesting but also kind of true, so she smirks.

"I'm pretty sure I heard my name over here." Trish comes from out of nowhere and settles on the empty seat Santana had been standing next to.

"We were just telling Brittany here how much of a softy she makes Santana here." Dina explains easily, motioning with her glass that's in her hand to the girl in question. Trish nods with a short lived grin.

"Santana said that you guys have been together _forever_." Lauren says with a playful eye roll as she emphasizes the word 'forever', seeing as the word can be extremely vague. Brittany giggles out a smile and reaches out to grab Santana's left hand where she thumbs at the ring on her finger.

"Yeah, I would say that's pretty spot on." She bobs her head up and down. "I mean, we've been together for about," She looks to Santana as though her eyes are helping her do the math. "Five years. Just about." They nod, smile and lightly peck one another on the lips.

"Did you give her that?" Dina interrupts their cute coupley moment, noticing how Brittany is playing with the ring on Santana's finger. The blonde nods and within a second Santana's hand is pulled from her own and Trish is cradling Santana's hand.

"Oh," Trish lets out in an unimpressed tone. "It's cute." She shrugs her shoulder and sends Brittany a fake smile.

"Thanks." Brittany replies in a questioning voice, watching as Trish's fingers linger a little longer than she'd like on her girlfriend's hand.

"It's actually a promise ring." Santana unknowingly interrupts a stare down between the two women at her side, of course, unbeknownst to her. But, Dina and Lauren are quick to 'ooh' and 'ah' at the comment.

"Do you guys think you're gonna actually 'do it' in the near future? Like, for real?" Lauren asks the couple and by using the term 'do it', they all pretty much assume she means an actual engagement. They look back at each other, shrug slightly, and have to turn away from one another because they're both starting to feel the creep of a blush rise to their cheeks.

"We haven't really gotten that far." Brittany admits, but her tone isn't sad or disappointed. In fact, it's exciting because they really _haven't_ spoken of impending engagements or anything of the sort. 'One day' is still the mantra.

"Yeah," Santana starts to add to her other half's explanation. "We're kind of just, focusing on school right now. Working and saving." She shrugs her shoulders again and the other girls nod along in agreement that that is probably a good idea. "For now, this ring means that it is going to happen, eventually."

"Well, that is pretty fucking cute." Dina says, sending the girls a cute puppy faced pout.

"And kinda smart." Trish finally jumps back in to the conversation, catching the rest of the girls' attention. "I mean, anything can happen between now and then." She shrugs her shoulders and right before Brittany turns her head in the direction of Quinn calling her, she catches Trish bump shoulders with Santana.

* * *

><p>When they get home later that night and prepare to settle in for the night, Brittany sits in front of the vanity in their bedroom brushing her hair. Her eyes go to Santana's reflection when she walks out of the bathroom and towards their night stand, lifting the clock to set the alarm.<p>

"Did you have fun tonight?" Santana asks as she settles the clock back down to the night stand. Brittany half smiles and nods her head, all the while continuing to brush her hair. "Me too. I can't believe Alexis and Dina know each other. So weird." She shakes her head, obviously still shocked that two seemingly random people have met before.

"Yeah." Brittany agrees. "I like Dina and that other girl."

"Lauren?" Santana finishes her thought, knowing Brittany is searching for the other girl's name. When Brittany nods, she smiles to herself because it seems as though the night of introducing and meeting new people has seemed to be a success. But there's one other person and she bites her lip, uncertain if she even needs to ask. "And Trish?" She watches as Brittany's motions halt for a moment and her posture flickers to a slump but only for a second.

"I don't want you to see her anymore." Brittany tells her in a soft voice, but the words cause Santana to snap her head in her direction. She shakes her head to herself, she can feel those brown eyes on her, but she watches the way her hand settles her hair brush to the vanity's table. "I know I'm not the smartest person." She continues after Santana doesn't respond. "But," She lifts her eyes until they fall onto the reflection of Santana's face. "I'm also not an idiot."

"Brittany," Santana starts and moves towards the foot of the bed, keeping her eyes locked to mirror image Brittany's. "There's really nothing to…"

"I shouldn't even have to be asking you this." Brittany cuts her off and spins in her chair to look at the real Santana.

"You're not really asking." She points out with a flicker of an eyebrow and lifts her foot to take off her sock.

"I get that you are gonna see her at school." Brittany shakes her head and glances down at the way Santana lifts her other foot to do the same with the second sock. "And you have study group, but other than that, I don't see the need for you to see her." Santana just stares back at her, sock still in hand and bare feet on the bed frame. "I _really_ hate that I have to say any of this to you right now." Brittany's throat opens and closes as her frustration begins to get to her. Santana snaps out of it, drops her sock and moves to kneel in front of her girlfriend.

"Stop baby." She coos and rubs her hands up and down Brittany's thighs, desperate to ease her stress. She ducks her head, instantly finding those blue eyes and she sends her lady a comforting smile. "If," She swallows because she knows this needs to be done, even if it might not be that easy. "I won't see her out of school stuff." Santana tells her in her softest, most gentle voice. Her hand reaches up to run her fingers through Brittany's hair, letting her thumb graze her cheek. "But," She tilts her head to the side, all the while maintaining eye contact. "I do need you to trust me that nothing has ever or will ever happen." She sends Brittany a pleading look. One that desperate seeks for that trust and understanding, because if they don't have that then what do they have?

"I know." Brittany lets out and nods, letting her cheek push into Santana's hand until she's cupping the side of her face.

"I love _you_." Santana says firmly yet adoringly at the same time. Brittany breathes out a soft smile, closes her eyes and nods once again.

"I know that too." They giggle. It's not forced but it's not a hearty laugh, but, for the moment it's perfect because it is a sensitive conversation.

When Brittany opens her eyes again, she finds Santana staring back at her with a loving expression etched on her face. Her thumb caresses over the spot just at the corner of Brittany's mouth and she dips her head before leaning forward to capture those perfect, pillow like lips with her own. Even though they've kissed, and kissed like this so many times before, this one in particular only cements their hope for that impending 'one day' moment.

At least, for now.


	27. Chapter 27

Quinn is rushing around the apartment, gathering her folders and binders, tossing them into her worn in messenger bag. She checks the time on her watch and huffs. There's no time constraint here, but she feels like she's racing the seconds to get out of her place and off to work. It's not actual work she's dying to get to, she's sure she'd never feel that way about Nelson's. Actually, she's trying to get to work on her final project for one of her classes and the fact that she kind of enjoys this class only makes her move faster get going.

Doing a last minute check list in her mind, she stares at her bag, hoping she'd packed everything she needs. With a nod, she slings the bags strap over her shoulder, grabs her keys and heads for the door. The one thing, other than time, she didn't think was going to get in her way today was Brittany standing at her door when she opened it.

"Whoa." Quinn jumps back, slightly startled and brings her hand up to her chest. "Britt, you scared me." She lets out a breath that had been sucked in sharply upon the surprising visit. Brittany greets her with a tiny smile and she stands there, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Hey." She waves her fingers before jamming her hand into the hooded sweatshirt she's wearing. "Were you," She takes note of the bag on her friend's shoulder. "Were you on your way out?" Brittany juts her thumb over shoulder.

"Yeah, I was just walking out. Why, what's up?" Quinn asks, getting antsy at the fact that she's still standing in her doorway instead of making her way down the soon to be busy New York sidewalks.

"I didn't have classes today." Brittany says, bringing a hand up to tuck some of her hair behind her ear. "Santana decided to stay in the library for the afternoon to study, so…" This means Brittany has nothing to do for the rest of the day, leaving Quinn feeling bad. "I was gonna stop by the dance studio, but I'm gonna be there pretty much all week and weekend." She shrugs her shoulders and puts her other hand in the pocket of her hoodie.

"Well, I've got some work to do for school." Quinn explains to her. "But," She twists her lips as she takes in the way Brittany's eyes drop to where her feet are stepping on one another. "You can totally come with me and keep me company." She smiles brightly and in turn gets the same expression from her friend.

"What is this for anyway?" Brittany asks as she follows Quinn who is zig zagging them through the lunch time rush on the city sidewalks. Once they find a clear pathway, Quinn waits for her friend to get beside her to answer her question.

"Oh," She adjusts the messenger bag on her shoulder. "I have this final project due for my photography class and my professor lets me go to her son's shop to develop my pictures. Even gave me the keys." Brittany sends her a perplexed look, but is sure to keep up with her on foot.

"Pictures?"

"Yeah." Quinn replies easily enough. "I've been taking these photography classes for the last, like, three years Britt." She chuckles out and glances over at Brittany who still looks just as surprised as before. "Santana makes fun of me all the time whenever I have my camera hanging from my neck." She reminds her and finally the light seems to go on in Brittany's head.

"Oh, is that what that was?" Brittany hums out with a small nod. "I just thought it was one of those big, gangster necklaces and you were trying to fit into the city life." Quinn isn't sure whether she should laugh or be struck utterly confused at this statement, but it's Brittany so she decides on the former.

In a few short minutes Quinn and Brittany are walking into the small studio. It's pretty plain and besides four, red plastic chairs the only other piece of furniture is a dark wooden desk to the right with a register sitting on top of it. Brittany was kind of expecting something more exquisite and flashy, considering Quinn had said that her professor's son was sort of a well known photographer. So she was pretty surprised that behind the white blinds against the windows only hid a dull grey back drop and a few light stands at the back of the store.

She's lead to the furthest door in the back to the right which reads 'darkroom' and is greeted by a small room that is illuminated in a dim red light. It's kind of secretive and reminds her of some kind of spy movie where the two heroes meet to discuss further action of their mission. It's quiet but a comfortable quiet.

Quinn settles her bag on a short legged table and flips the flap open to pull out some folders and film canisters while Brittany takes a seat on a stool at the end of the table. She watches all of the steps her friend takes in the developing of her pictures, enamored at how delicate the process is into making something beautiful come to life.

"Those are really good pictures Quinn." Brittany breaks the silence and points towards the picture Quinn is pushing around in a rectangle shaped bowl.

"Thanks." She smiles, admiring her own work with a bit of bashfulness. Quinn's never actually let anyone see her work besides her teachers and her classmates.

There are photos of the park and the people at the park with their friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, lover and children. Some of the people are alone sitting on benches or leaning against the manmade stone walls. Some of the people are smiling as they enjoy the park in the day time while there are other people who have no expression as they sit on a blanket taking in the sunset. Brittany wonders what Quinn was feeling or thinking about these people as she took the photos. She's heard the expression 'a pictures worth a thousand words' or something like that and it makes her brain rack through all of the things the people in the pictures could have been thinking and or feeling.

"What's wrong BB?" Quinn asks with worry, seeing her friend's saddened expression. Brittany shrugs her shoulder and twists her lips.

"I haven't thought of a backup plan." She admits quietly, her eyes trained on the way Quinn works her way through the picture developing process. "I kind of just thought I was going to school for dance and that's what I would wind up doing."

"You probably will." Quinn assures her with a soft smile. Brittany half smiles in return, but her face reads more of defeat that victory.

"There's nothing definite about 'probably'." She huffs dully and looks down at the way her hands fit between her thighs.

"Well, if you don't make it in dancing, what do you see yourself doing?" Quinn wonders.

"I don't know." Brittany starts and takes in a breath, letting the air come out slowly. "Being in Glee Club back in high school, it kind of made me think that whatever I did was gonna be a big deal." When she looks back up at Quinn, she tries to match the smile being sent her way.

"I think you are one hundred percent right with that idea B." She nods firmly before turning her attention back to her work.

"No, I mean, sure I want to make a difference." Brittany hops off of the stool and walks around the table that holds the photos to be and glances at the ones that are hanging to dry above the table between them. "But, in Glee Club we were on stage and performing and it was so amazing having people watching and cheering us on." Quinn glances up quickly and even though the room is barely lit, she can see a glimmer in Brittany's eye. "The New Directions made me feel like I was famous, so, I always assumed that's what I'd grow up to be." She rolls her eyes at herself and face palms herself. "Wow, that sounds so shallow and narcissistic." Quinn giggles, places her tongs down and grabs Brittany's hand from her face.

"No it doesn't." She says and gets an amused but pouty look anyway. "I mean, have you _met_ mygirlfriend?" With a quirked eyebrow she shakes her head, realizing that probably wasn't the best comparison. "I think that, if you want something, you've gotta go for it." She shrugs her shoulders and squeezes Brittany's hand with her own. "I believe in you Britt."

"Thanks." Brittany giggles and shakes her head. She looks on as Quinn goes back to work and notices the way her friend's lips twist, obviously in thought.

"You know," Quinn begins, pausing for a moment to step to the side and keep her concentration as well as train of thought. "Sometimes painters, photographers" She taps the tongs on the edge of the bowl and sets it down, letting her eyes linger up to her drying photos. "Even some writers, they try to pull an emotion from their work. Some like the abstract." She tilts her head to the side and then pushes herself from the table to turn towards where her bag is. "And it's interesting enough. To have to really look hard into something to figure out that it isn't at all what it is at first thought." She pulls out a large binder that she brings back to the table that separates her and Brittany. "Then there are those pieces of art that are straight on. It takes one second to figure out what the artist was trying to portray or what the subject is exuding." Brittany watches Quinn thumb through the large binder that is filled with photos she can only assume were taken by Quinn herself. "I like both, but I'm more partial to what's in between all that." She smirks to herself when she stops at a particular photo for more than a second. "That photo or painting or story at first look you think you've got it all figured out." Her eyes flicker up to Brittany's that shine under the red light. "But then you notice there is this, this thing about it and it makes you wonder if it is something completely different." She bites on her bottom lip and carefully arranges her hands around the binder so she can hold to it tightly as she turns it to face Brittany. "Then you realize, it's exactly what you expected it _not_ to be _and_ be all at the same time. It's just so beautiful." She breathes out.

Brittany looks down at the picture Quinn is showing her. At first, her eyes lazily scan over it. But, then it hits her that the photo is of her and Santana. She doesn't remember taking this. She's sure she would have remembered seeing as both she and Santana are clearly naked. Her eyes dart up to Quinn, but her friend is proudly looking down at the piece in her binder. She closer she looks, the more her smile grows. Santana is lying on the floor while she lies on top of her.

It isn't erotic and is at the same time. Their lower bodies are just covered by a thin sheet and their breasts are not seen thanks to perfectly placed arms, backs and what looks like a floor. Sure, there is some side boob, but that is a tiny detail to a perverted eye. Her eyes and Santana's eyes are closed, so she assumes they are sleeping. But, the interesting part is their faces beyond their closed eyes.

"I don't remember this." Brittany admits in a small voice, her eyes still scan over the glossy, black and white photograph.

"What do you see?" Quinn asks in a feather soft voice.

"I don't know." Brittany giggles and shrugs her shoulders. She knows that when it comes to 'art' it's all sophisticated ideas and thoughts. She shakes her head because she doesn't have those. "Me and Santana."

"Well, yeah." Quinn rolls her eyes playfully and grips the bottom of the binder with one hand so she can use her other hand to point out parts in the photo. "I'll tell you what _I_ see." She tells her friend in a gentle voice. "I see love." It's almost too simple of an observation that Brittany looks at her with a furrowed brow. "There are all of these, layers though to it."

"To the picture?" Brittany questions but Quinn just shakes her head.

"Love." She replies almost instantly. "Love has layers to it. It's not black and white." Her eyes go from picture to Brittany a few times before settling on her friend. "I took this one morning while you guys were sleeping. You and Santana had had a fight the night before and I couldn't believe how I found you guys the next day." She smiles and motions towards the binder in her hand. "When I look at this, at your face and her face, I see this love…" She pauses and her mouth opens and closes as though the words she has won't come out or form on her tongue. "There's forgiveness, trust," She uses her finger to point out the way the sheet starts at their waists and how their arms are placed. "Connection, loyalty and emotional exhaustion." She says the last part in an airy giggle that makes Brittany smile.

"You see _all_ that, just in these?" She asks with wide eyes and Quinn nods with a toothy grin.

"Your face and body are like the canvas and your emotions are the paint. You create this beautiful art because you _feel_." Quinn explains, slowly and carefully as she closes the binder and holds it to her chest. "You're not afraid to hide your emotions and it makes you, like, walking art. And I think," She nods a few times before turning around to set her binder down to her bag once again. "Because of that, you can do anything."

Eventually, after a few seconds of comforting smiles and comfortable silence, Quinn gets back to work and Brittany goes back to the stool to watch. In about two hours, she's helping Quinn pack up the photos and everything else into her book bag. They clean up everything that was used and putting away the things hadn't been used. When they get to the front of the store, ready to leave, Quinn stops at the front desk and whips out a piece of paper, writing down a quick 'thank you' note for her professor's son.

"Thanks a lot for today." Brittany says as they step out into the late afternoon sidewalk that is a lot less crowded than when they had arrived. Quinn smiles over her shoulder at as she locks the door to the store front. "I needed to get out." She admits, tucking her hands into her sweatshirt when they venture down the sidewalk in the direction they had come from.

"Well, thank you for your company." She bumps shoulders with her friend. "It's nice to have someone to talk to about my 'hobbies' and have them actually listen." She chuckles, but there is a hint of sadness in its tone. "Rachel, doesn't really get it." Quinn says before Brittany can ask her what she meant. She lifts her head and breathes in the spring city air. "She actually doesn't think it's a lucrative backup plan. That I'm foolish and am settling for something easy."

"I think you're talented Q." Brittany assures her and hooks her arm into Quinn's. "I don't think I could ever take as good of pictures as you." Quinn smiles, admiring Brittany's kindness and straight forward honesty. "And I'm not just saying that 'cause you're my friend. I think your art is really good and that even if your first plan works out, you should keep it up." They pull one another closer by their linked arms for a moment as they continue to walk, letting the slight chill in the air dance around them.

"So, Britt," Quinn clears her throat and pulls her arm from Brittany's so she can adjust her bag's strap. "How are things between you and Santana these days? Rachel and I haven't had the pleasure of having your company for dinner recently." She points out, seeing that a few weeks ago; Brittany was stopping by every other day for dinner due to the fact that Santana was going hard with her studies.

"She's trying to be more present and aware." Brittany sighs, her hands finding the strings of her hoodie suddenly interesting. "And I'm trying to be more patient and understanding." She quickly glances to Quinn with a half smile that twists into a straight line. "_And_ trusting."

"I know it's hard." Quinn puffs her cheeks, not quite sure what to say to ease her friend's worries. "But, you've got to know that Santana would never do anything to jeopardize her relationship with you." She watches the way Brittany's head tilts and bobs from side to side and the way her shoulders move up and down while she walks.

"I'm not crazy, right?" Brittany wonders if maybe all of this is really just pent up insecurities that maybe she doesn't have _everything_ Santana might need or want.

"_No_, not even a little bit." Quinn puts her hand on Brittany's arm and gives it a light squeeze. "But, if you trust Santana…"

"I _do_. I trust her." Brittany nods affirming her statement.

"Then you've got to trust that she can take care of herself if anything were to get out of hand." Quinn explains.

"That's the thing, it shouldn't get to that." She whines, flailing her arms up and they slap her sides as they fall. "I don't know." She shakes her head, trying to stop the motion by placing her hands on her cheeks. "I'm not like Santana. I can't just show up unannounced at the library or at where ever it is they are 'studying'." Brittany confesses in a way that makes Quinn believe that her friend has thought about it once or twice. "I'm not the one in our relationship who is all stompy and demanding, except sometimes when we're having sex. I mean, it was hard enough for me to ask her to not have anything but a school relationship with Trish." Letting her brain completely dismiss the 'sex' comment, Quinn can't help but frown at Brittany's uncertainty and moral confusion.

"I think," She hesitates, because she isn't sure if saying anything at this point is saying enough or maybe even too much. "Well, she's never really been a 'social' person B. You know the only person she ever actually liked in high school was you. Everyone knew that." She can tell by Brittany's facial expression that she agrees with that. "Sure, me, Rach and Kurt are _always_ gonna be your friends, to both of you. But, there's a whole world of people out there. True, Trish isn't exactly the best example of the people Santana could be creating long lasting friendships with." Brittany scoffs and rolls her eyes. "You do have to give her some credit for trying to be nicer." She gives her friend a goofy grin and pokes at her side to try and get a real smile out of. After a few pokes, it finally works and Brittany bats her hand away. "Okay, well, this is where we part." Quinn says as they come to the corner that has come to be known as the 'see ya later' corner.

"Alright, I'll talk to ya later." Brittany sighs and goes in for the hug first.

"Have a good night BB." Quinn stands at the corner for a moment longer, just watching as Brittany walks across the street and in the direction of her and Santana's apartment.

She feels that their talk went pretty well. There were no tears, so that's a definite plus. Also, Brittany did smile for her at the end of it, so it all can't be that bad. But, as she turns to head to her own home, she has this odd pull in the pit of her stomach that she fears that all of this may just be the calm before the storm. Then again, Quinn has always been sort of a pessimist. She blames a lot of that on the fact that her best friend is Santana Lopez. All she does know, is that if a couple like Brittany and Santana were to crash and burn, what could be said about all the other relationships in the world. Not much, that's for damn sure.

When Brittany walks through the door, she's happily greeted by Santana who apparently got home only moments before her. She sets her keys on the table beside Santana's and grabs her by the waist to pull her into a hug from behind. Brittany snuggles her nose in the spot just behind Santana's ear, taking in her scent and humming out an appreciative sigh.

"Hi baby." Santana giggles and places her hands to rest on Brittany's that are on her stomach.

"Hello." She kisses her neck before she pulls back to go settle on the couch.

"You have a good day?" Santana asks, stepping behind the couch to ruffle Brittany's hair affectionately and then leans on the back of her seat when her hands are flicked away.

"Mhmm." She nods up and down like a little kid would after a long day at the park.

"Water?" Santana grabs Brittany's arm and uses it to motion towards the kitchen where the water sits in the fridge.

"Share." She giggles in response. "Santana?" Brittany calls to her as she is walking into the kitchen to retrieve the water they had just discussed.

"Yeah babe?" Santana replies over her shoulder, looking over the refrigerator door as she grabs at the plastic bottles inside.

"Do you have a backup plan?" She asks from her spot on the couch, her eyes stare at the way her fingers tug and pull at the frayed stings on their pillows.

"What do you mean?" Santana questions as she returns from the kitchen, hops over the back of the couch and takes her spot back right next to her girlfriend. Brittany shrugs and cuddles closer into Santana, accepting the offered bottle of water they are sharing between them.

"I went with Quinn today to some picture studio." She shuffles in her spot, letting her head rest against Santana's as she passes the water bottle back to her. "Did you know she's been taking photography classes?" Santana smirks as she takes the bottle back and sets it beside her.

"Yeah." She answers softly. "For a while I was wondering why the hell she always had that camera around her neck. It started looking like she joined a gang and that was her bling or something." They both let out a chuckle and Brittany is reminded that she and Santana _get_ one another in ways not other people do. A few seconds pass and Santana wonders if Brittany has forgotten why she started this conversation about Quinn and photography. But, she knows that there is a method to her ways, so she patiently waits.

"I don't have a backup plan." Brittany finally breaks their comfortable silence. She sounds sad but also kind of worried that this is something she already should have thought of. "Quinn has picture taking as her backup. I'm sure Rachel has a three page, outlined list of backups. I bet you have a backup." Santana turns her head to press her lips to Brittany's temple and brings her arm from between them to place it around Brittany's shoulders.

"Can I let you in on a little secret?" Santana asks in a low, whisper like tone. Brittany turns her head to see that Santana's eyes are serious and genuine but light and she smiles back. "Sometimes, when I'm at work and its hour four of my second shift of the day," She tilts her head until it's resting on the back of the couch. "And I start getting agitated and tired, so bad that I actually think of throwing in my apron and quitting," Brittany giggles at the throwing motion Santana makes with her hand. "I just think about _why_ I'm even serving at Nelson's." She shrugs her shoulders and her eyes scan over her girlfriend's face.

"Why?" Brittany breathes out in anticipation which makes Santana grin widely.

"Because of you." Santana easily answers and presses the tip of Brittany's nose lightly with the tip of her finger. "The way I see it, first plan or backup plan," She shrugs and lifts her hand to tuck some blonde hair behind Brittany's ear. "All of that is just kind of extra and I'll be fine as long as I have you." Brittany breathes out a laugh and playfully rolls her eyes. "_But_," Santana smiles widely and arches an eyebrow. "I will totally get a backup plan if that makes you happy." Brittany leans in to kiss her lips and as she pulls back she nods.

"It couldn't hurt, right?" She asks, unsure about this whole first plan bit not actually panning out. But Santana nods in agreement, so she figures that having a backup plan could never be a bad idea. "What about you? Any ideas for this lovely plan for having a 'backup plan'?" She twirls some of Brittany's hair around her finger as her hand sits on her shoulder and watches as those blue eyes shift to a shade lighter and brighter.

"I think I have an idea." Brittany nods and bites on the tip of her tongue trying to hide her smile. "But, I want to figure it out first before I tell you. Okay?"

"Okay." Santana agrees before leaning in to press her lips to Brittany's for a sweet kiss.

* * *

><p>With her textbooks packed tightly into her bag, she rushes through the crowded streets because she knows she's already late. She didn't think that they'd give her such a hard time at work about leaving early, but apparently she had been wrong. Its times like these that she truly considers getting the hell out of Nelson's, but she can't and won't. Not yet anyway, especially not after what she told Brittany the other day.<p>

Finally seeing the library she lets out a sigh of relief. At least she's finally reached her destination. She pulls her phone out to check the time and sees that she's only fifteen minutes late which isn't really do or die so she slows her pace a bit. The group is sitting at their usual table and she greets them with a slightly out of breath 'hey'.

"Hey." Dina says in a hushed voice, not wanting to disturb the rest of the people getting their study on in the library. She moves her bag from the chair beside her and then slides some of her books over to give Santana a place to sit.

As she settles into her chair, takes out her books to spread out in front of her, she glances around taking in the fact that she was in fact, the last to join. Sitting right across from her is Trish, who looks up from her books when Santana finally has all of her books out and ready.

"Hey kid." Trish greets, tapping the end of her pen on Santana's opened textbook. Santana offers her a half smile before turning her attention back down to her book to get her notes she wants to go over out. But, before she can get into study mode, a pen is tapping to get her attention once again. "I gotta get a book, come with?" Trish nods her head in a direction away from the table and Santana looks at the rest of the group who are still collecting their notes in stacks to go over important details for the test coming up at the end of the week.

"Sure." Santana sighs, pushes her chair back and follows Trish towards the row of books a few feet away from their table. Of course she's kind of curious as to why the girl can't just go get the book herself, but then she remembers the last time the group had sent Trish to retrieve the needed text. She wound up returning fifteen minutes later without the book because she ran into an old friend and forgot why she'd gotten up in the first place. It kind of became a joke to them ever since.

"So," Trish turns around once they are stuck between two, tall rows of books and books. "I needed to apologize." Santana of course, is taken aback at the fact that Trish has actually led her here to talk, and then double time when the girl tells her she needs to apologize.

"For what?" She asks, not quite certain where this apology is stemming from, because according if Brittany was here, she's sure her girlfriend could provide her with a list of things Trish should apologize for.

"Well," Trish shifts under Santana's gaze and tucks her hands into the back of her jeans. "I was kind of really excited about going out with you, Dina and Lauren the other night. I mean, the four of us have never actually done anything without school being in the mix." She shrugs her shoulders, pulling one of her hands from her pocket and leaning against the bookshelf. "I don't usually have 'girl' friends. I grew up with boys being my besties." She chuckles to herself as she tucks some of her long, brown hair behind her ear and glances down at her feet. "Anyway," She drawls out slowly, realizing she's going slightly off topic. "Before we met up with you, I had already had, like, two vodka seltzers." They both laugh at the admission and Santana nods her head in understanding. That would make sense as to why Trish was a bit much the other night when they had went out. "I guess, well, I think you're a pretty and cool girl." She's sure Trish means 'pretty cool', so she doesn't think to correct her. "And I know Dina and Lauren think you're hilarious.

"Hey," Santana lifts her hand, stopping Trish from going further with this apology that seems to actually have no real reasons or ending, but is appreciated. "It's okay." She shrugs her shoulders and offers the girl a small smile. "I know I'm pretty freakin' awesome, you were just nervous to come play with the big boys." Trish playfully punches Santana's shoulder and the two share a quiet, library approved laugh.

"So, we're good?" Trish questions.

"Yeah, we're fine." Santana tells her as if she shouldn't have apologized to begin with.

Trish beams back at her and then hooks her arm into Santana's and leads them back to the table where the rest of their study group is close to being ready to study. As their arms separate and they take their seats, Santana smiles inwardly and nods to herself. Clearly, she had taken Trish's small touches and over the top outgoing personality the wrong way.

Of course a girl who has only been friends with guys wouldn't really know how to interact with other females. It really makes a lot of sense. It's kind of like her own situation what with her only real interactions with people are limited to the Lima clique she grew up with. There's a comfortableness she has with all four of them and it doesn't really surprise her that she would find Trish to come off as a tad crossing the line.

* * *

><p>A few days later Brittany decides to take Santana out on a date explaining her girlfriend needs it after the stress of test week. Santana is quick to accept, loving any time she can go out with her beautiful girl and show her off. Plus, whenever there's date night, there's dressing up and their dressing up always includes some hot lingerie underneath for dessert.<p>

Truth be told, it's kind of been a little dry in the bedroom as of late. _She_ hasn't been dry, oh no. The ache between her legs she's certain has been present for the past week and a half. But, with everything going on with school and work, it seems to kind of fall at the bottom of the list of things to do. Sometimes when she comes home from school or group and she thinks of trying to get it on, but then she remembers the time Brittany cried to her about always being horny after school stuff. She doesn't want to give Brittany the idea that _that_ is at all true. Other times, Brittany is too tired when she comes home from a long day of school and then her hours at the studio.

It's not that they don't get it on at all. They do. It has simply not been much of a 'priority' like it used to be.

As Santana puts on her makeup in front of their vanity, she wonders if tonight she's going to be getting some. Three nights ago, she sort of did. Brittany came home from work a little later than usual and they wound up dry humping on the couch with some re-run of Jersey Shore playing in the background. But, she wants more than just dry humping and random early morning showers that leave her without reaching orgasm.

She pouts her lips to put on her lip gloss and contemplates telling Brittany about Trish apologizing. Santana had told Quinn about the 'talk' she'd had with Trish at the library the other day and her friend seemed impressed yet skeptical. Quinn had told her that she watched Trish a lot that night and that the girl looked very 'calculated', whatever that means. She even suggested that Santana not even bring it up to Brittany because if _she_ were Brittany and Rachel were Santana, all she would think is that she was right from the start. That this girl, Trish, is bad news and knows exactly what she's doing.

Just as she is about to grab her eyeliner, her phone vibrates on the vanity and she sighs as she reaches out for it. She's expecting some perverted text from Quinn, considering she's complained about needing to get it on with her hot girlfriend earlier in the week. But, she's pretty surprised when she sees that it's actually a text from the girl she's practically forbidden to be friends with.

**Trish: come play tnite. me laur and d r getting drinks**

Santana's lips twist because, even if she didn't have plans with Brittany, she'd have to decline the offer anyway. So, she types out the message she's send regardless of her evening plans.

**cant, got a date w Britt tnite**

She sighs as she sets her phone back down and grabs the eyeliner. It's hard for her, because she can't help but wonder if this is what it's going to be like for the rest of their lives. Is Brittany _always_ going to disapprove of Santana being friends with other girls? As soon as she finishes the thought, she rolls her eyes at herself and if she could she'd even slap herself. That is probably the most ridiculous thought she has ever had in her entire life. Her best friend is a girl and besides that, Brittany seemed to really like Dina when they met the other night. She even suggested that Santana invite her out more, especially since she and Alexis got along so well. She's taken out of berating herself when her phone vibrates again.

**Trish: awww, thats sweet. wut r u wearing? :)**

In the bathroom down the hall, Brittany is using the straightener letting her own thoughts swim through her mind. She's got her sexy white lingerie on under her dress, the pumps that Santana loves and she's pretty much got everything else going on. There's no way that she's not getting it in tonight. It's kind of been a while since they've had a night that was devoted to just making love and making each other feel sexually satisfied.

It's not that they both haven't tried though. The problem is that Brittany is really tired when she has an extra long day. Also, she gets the feeling that Santana is trying to be careful about when she tries to initiate any intimate moments. She kind of regrets bringing anything up about how her girlfriend seemed to be hornier after her school get togethers. But in the moment, that was how it felt.

**wouldn't u like 2 kno ;)haha, just a black dress. Britts fav**

Santana types out quickly before she sends it. She kind of likes the fact that Trish seems to be trying to actually create a relationship out of their studies. Maybe it's corny, the way she's going about it, but at least she's trying. Then maybe Santana will be able to show Brittany that the girl is truly harmless.

**Trish: i bet u look hot in sweatpants.**

For a split second, she wonders if this is inappropriate. But, she remembers the things she's complimented Quinn on and vice versa. Shit, Quinn's seen her topless nearly equal to the amount of times Brittany has. Not as much, but pretty close. In fact, she's had entire conversations with her best friend in a dressing room at Victoria's Secret while she tried on bras. So, instead of second guessing whether Trish is being 'comfortable' or being 'inappropriate', she just goes with the flow.

**i look hot in erything, tell ur friends lol**

She smirks to herself as she hits send and then looks back into the mirror. Everything seems to be in place. Perfect hair, perfect makeup and of course, her dress is absolutely perfect and hugging her body in all the right places. Before she can leave the room to meet her lady in the hallway and head out for their hopefully, lovely evening, her phone buzzes in her hand.

**Trish: oh, i do ;)**

"Baby, you ready?" Santana calls out as she walks down the hall to the bathroom, completely disregarding the text from Trish. She powers down her phone, not needing any sort of interruptions for the evening she's planning on having with Brittany.

"Yeah, just one second." Brittany answers from still inside the bathroom and Santana can her here settling the flatiron down onto the counter.

Santana goes into the kitchen and plugs in her phone, figuring she'll just leave it home to charge instead of carrying it around with her. As she places it down to the kitchen counter, she hears the click clacks of Brittany's shoes against the hardwood floor and is immediately drawn to her. She grins from ear to ear at the sight of Brittany dressed to the nines.

"You look smokin'." She winks and fans herself because it feels like the room just went up a few degrees. Brittany smiles and does a quick twirl to show off her entire outfit. "So, where are you taking me tonight sweetheart?" She asks in a cute, little seductive tone as she reaches out for Brittany's hand and then spins her into her own body.

"Well, it's kind of funny that we live in New York City and we rarely take in a show." Brittany says softly, letting her lips quickly graze Santana's for a light kiss.

"You do know you're going on a date with me and not Berry right?" She jokes and taps Brittany's ass with the tips of her fingers as they head to the door.

"Come on, I promise you'll have a great time." She wriggles her eyebrows when she looks over her shoulder to her girlfriend, smirking when she sees a tiny blush creep to Santana's cheeks. "And tonight…" She spins around when they are standing in the doorway and presses her body up against Santana's. "I want you to," Brittany bites on her lower lip and brings her mouth to Santana's ear. "Thug me out, all night." She whispers, breathing hotly into Santana's ear and then nibbles on her earlobe, rendering her speechless.

Walking down the hall to the elevator, down the street to the corner for a cab and even when they are waiting on line to get into the show Brittany had gotten them tickets to, all Santana can think about is that Brittany wants her to 'thug' her out. It has been a little while since they've done any kind of role playing. They don't do it _too_ often, because they like to keep it fresh and fun and spontaneous. But, it's also one of Santana's favorite things to do, even if the first few times she acted all shy about it. There's really nothing like having her girlfriend bend over, hands on the floor begging to be fucked hard by the strap-on she's wearing. She even went out and bought some baggy jeans, a chain and a NYC baseball cap to get into character.

* * *

><p>Quinn walks up to the counter and sets her tray down. She lets out a sigh and winds up blowing some of her hair from her face in the process which she hadn't even realized was in her way. She hears a strange giggle from behind her and when she looks over her shoulder she finds Santana leaning on the other counter texting away on her phone.<p>

"_Someone's_ in a good mood." She points out, a little jealous that her friend is able to be all giddy and smiles while working the annoying Wednesday night shift. "Guess you're date with Britt went well last night?" Quinn asks with a grin and bumps her hip into Santana's as she reaches over her to grab two glasses. Santana turns around, letting her back lean against the counter and she shoves her phone back into her apron.

"I _can't tell you_ how great it went." Santana beams a cheesy and satisfied smile at her friend. "But, I totally will." She pushes herself from the counter and sidles up beside Quinn at the soda station and leans on that part of the counter.

"Please, spare me the details." Quinn waves her hand, truly hoping that Santana is not about to go into detail about her sexual activities with Brittany from the night before.

"Oh, come on." She whines and loosely crosses her arms over her chest. "If I can't share the intimate details of my sex life with my best friend then who _can_ I share them with?" She juts her lower lip out, which tells Quinn that no matter how much she does protest this impending conversation, or sharing of information rather, she's losing.

"Umm, Brittany. Brittany is probably a great person to talk about this stuff with. Because _she_ was there." She reminds Santana before going back to getting her drinks for her tables ready.

"Well, duh. Of course she was there. And if she were _here_, she'd tell you how I rocked her world." She faces the counter, grabs at the edge of it and thrusts her hips slowly obviously imitating the motions they most likely made last night.

"Ugh, gross." Quinn scrunches her nose in disgust and pushes Santana away from her.

"_Please_," Santana huffs, leaning her elbow on the counter to watch Quinn do actual work while she puts off going to the table she just got sat with. "I'm sure deep down, you're just itching to get some of my moves to use on your hobbit for a girlfriend." She pokes at Quinn's side, instantly getting her hand slapped away and a glare sent in her direction.

"If I ever need advice, trust me, I won't be asking you." She tells Santana who just waves her off as she grabs her tray and heads back into the dining room.

With a roll of her eyes and a long sigh, Santana makes her way to her new table before they start looking around wondering if they are going to get any service. She slaps on a fake smile and greets them with forced enthusiasm. Even a great night with a naked Brittany couldn't do anything to make her like her job more.

Santana's phone buzzes in her apron when she comes back to the kitchen to get her table yet another refill of soda. With annoyance aimed directly at the man who keeps sucking down the soft drink like people breathe air, she reaches in to grab her cell and opens the message that tells her it's from Trish.

**Trish: we're gonna miss u tnite**

She almost forgot, what with being in hell currently, that she's had to miss an extra night of studying because she has work. Sure, she's tried to balance out work from her studies, but sometimes they wind up not working out in her favor. It's not that big of a deal tonight though, because the study group got together last minute due to the fact that Lauren, who is secretly seeing their TA, found out about a pop quiz scheduled for tomorrow's Constitutional Law class.

**trust me, I'd rather b studying than at work right now**

Actually, after last night, she'd rather be in bed or on the couch or even on the kitchen floor with Brittany right now. Naked of course. Just thinking about it right now, she's getting all hot and bothered. But, since she had to work tonight, Brittany picked up an extra shift at the studio and then work on something for her show which means that by the time Santana gets home, Brittany is still going to be at the studio.

**Trish: u should come for drinks after, i'll buy u a drink ;)**

Santana twists her lips in thought as she reads over the text. Here in lies the dilemma. Brittany isn't even going to be home when she gets out of work. All she'll be doing at home is sitting around watching bad television and eating chips or whatever is leftover in the refrigerator. But at the same time, she's promised Brittany that she wouldn't have anything to do with Trish outside of school activities.

**Trish: and then I can give u the questions for 2morros pop quiz:)**

"Hmm." Santana hums out with a tilt of her head.

If that isn't incentive to go then she doesn't know what is, she desperately wants to ace this pop quiz. But at the same time, she doesn't want to do anything to cause some unneeded and unnecessary drama between her and Brittany. She figures, if she goes to get the questions for the quiz, then it's technically school related.

**i may take u up on that offer**

"Can you please stop sexting Brittany?" Quinn blurts out as she brushes by Santana in the kitchen. "It's inappropriate behavior for the work place." She says in an authoritative tone which only makes the both of them laugh.

"Hey," Santana starts in a smaller voice letting Quinn know she's about to say something serious. "Trish just texted me." She admits and gets a pointed look from Quinn. "No, it's," She shakes her head, rolls her eyes and lets out a sigh. "There's this pop quiz tomorrow and she got her hands on the questions that might be on it."

"And?" Quinn goes back to what she came in the kitchen to do.

"She said if I wanted them, to come to this bar after work so she can give them to me." Santana explains. Quinn stops what she's doing once again, turns around and shakes her head subtly from side to side.

"Santana, do you really wanna play this game?" She asks with sincere curiosity yet with a bit of warning in her tone. Santana scoffs at her friend's assumption that she would purposely do something stupid.

"This isn't a 'game'." She defends, instantly regretting bringing any of this up to Quinn.

"Exactly S. Don't even put yourself in a position that could make you look bad." She reminds her. "Britt asked you not to see this girl outside of the library and school. So, stopping by a bar would definitely fall under that category of 'no'." She rolls her eyes, knowing that no matter what she says to Santana, the girl is going to do whatever she wants. "Remember when Brittany met up with Jason and you got all mad even though she was doing it to put him in his place?" Quinn brings up the TA situation from back in freshman year. Santana nods, she was pretty angry at that. "This is the same thing."

"It's not even close. Trish didn't try and put the moves on me, Quinn." Santana spits out defensively.

"Not yet." Quinn mutters under her breath and shakes her head before she walks out of the kitchen and back into the mess of people waiting at her table to be greeted.

* * *

><p>When Santana gets home, the apartment is quiet and she notices as she puts her keys down that Brittany's are still missing. She's pretty surprised she got home before her, but in a way is kind of relieved that she doesn't have to explain her whereabouts for the past hour and a half. She kicks off her work shoes under the table and starts taking off her jacket as she walks down the hall to her bedroom.<p>

Before she goes into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face, she pulls out her cell phone and opens up a text message. Her thumbs quickly type out a quick note and she sends it within seconds.

**thanx for tnite. i needed it.**

Giving herself an approving nod, she sets her phone down onto her nightstand and makes her way to the bathroom. After her night time ritual, she slinks into bed still feeling slightly dizzy from the couple of shots she did earlier. But, she knows the feeling is only going to make her sleep soundly which she greatly appreciates. As she closes her eyes she hears her phone vibrate beside her.

**Trish: of course ;)**

She closes the message and turns her phone off as to not be disturbed for the rest of the night. When she goes to close her eyes again, she smiles because she can hear the tell tale signs of Brittany finally getting home. She snuggles closer towards her girlfriend's side of the bed when she hears keys hit the table and shoes scuff along with wooden floor towards their bedroom. She can hear that Brittany is in the room and only grins more when she feels a body hover over her and press a soft kiss to her temple.

"I love you." Brittany whispers before turning away to go in the bathroom for her own night time ritual.

"Love you too." Santana sleepily yawns out.

"Go back to sleep baby." Brittany tells her in a gentle voice as she flips the light switch on and carefully shuts the bathroom door so she doesn't disturb her girlfriend again.


	28. Chapter 28

It has been a rough couple of days. More like weeks or maybe even the past month. Actually, yes, month is more like it. In fact, it feels like the past two or maybe more like three months have been somewhat difficult. Perhaps 'difficult' isn't really the right word to use. Maybe just different. But, different can be difficult too.

Santana felt guilty about meeting up with Trish that one night at a bar, especially since Brittany had made it clear on numerous occasions about how she felt. After discussing her guilt and equal regret for her actions with Quinn, the best friends figured it would be in Santana's best interest to admit this to Brittany. It didn't so much spark a fight between the couple, but it also wasn't a comfortable 'sharing' conversation either.

"_It was just for school purposes, I swear." Santana explains, her eyes wide, trying to gauge her girlfriend's reaction._

_But, all Brittany gives her is a nod. She sucks her lips and averts her eyes until they land somewhere on her own lap. Letting a long breath out through her nose, she nods some more and then lifts her gaze up to meet Santana's. They are sitting across from one another, Santana on the coffee table right in front of Brittany who sits on the couch._

"_Okay." It's the only response, besides the nodding, that Brittany gives her before getting up from the couch and into the kitchen and begins to empty the dishwasher._

It was barely a few days after that when Santana finally started seeing all of the things her best friend warned her about and the things her girlfriend worried about. She wasn't sure if these things were brightened because they have been brought to her attention. But, she started noticing the little things. Well, the little things from an untrained eye. But, to someone in Brittany's position, they were very big things.

There were touches that lingered for far too long and lips too close to her ear for unnecessary whispers. She did her best to seem unfazed by it all, not wanting to give any kind of reaction to Trish's obvious advances. For someone like Santana, she is all too familiar of the moves one uses to step past the realms of acquaintance because she did it for most of her high school life. It was painfully obvious to Santana that, yes, Brittany had been right all along. Quinn too for that matter. And there's nothing that Santana Lopez hates more than hearing 'I told you so'.

But, she knew that Quinn had told her so and that Brittany had told her so and that they were going to say that because she sees it. It was before she had stopped communication with Trish, safe for some weird moments to and from class and some time in between class. She had received a picture text from Trish. Had it been Quinn, she'd have told her that the bathing suit in the pic was perfect for her and that she has really been doing well with those zumba classes that Brittany has been dragging her to.

However, as the case may be, the picture message did not contain a photo of Quinn in bathing suit but of Trish and a very scantily clad Trish at that. It wasn't really until she read the text beneath it that she finally put two and two together and that Quinn _and_ Brittany had been right all along.

**Trish: like wut u see? ;)**

Surely, this girl had to be joking. But, when Santana didn't respond immediately, the subject was changed to school work again. It would have been long forgotten had it not been brought up during their next group session. Awkwardly, Santana avoided eye contact as Trish sent her picture after picture during their study session, unbeknownst to their fellow study mates. Of course, Trish had to make it seem all innocent by telling Santana she just wanted her opinion for which suit is best to score guys attention this summer at the beach.

She would have truly believed that had she not drunkenly texted Santana that she wonders if she is attracted to girls. She admitted she had kissed girls in high school but never had a full on intimate relationship with one before. It was probably more in that moment than the picture message moment that Santana fully grasped where she had led herself through this whole 'Trish debacle'.

Ignoring Trish's advances could only last for so long and then eventually, Santana had no choice but to cut ties and quit going to group. Unfortunately for her, it felt like too little too late with Brittany.

* * *

><p>In a café far from where Santana and Brittany's drama lies are Quinn, Rachel and Kurt. It has become apparent over the past few weeks or month, that their friends are in some sort of relationship limbo. Kurt informs his girls that Brittany has been uncomfortable with the fact that Santana had initially withheld the truth from her about going to meet Trish at the bar that one night. He explains how she told him she can accept it having to do with school, but it's the fact that Santana felt she had to keep it from her that has her worried. 'I feel like she's hiding something from me. Like, she's only telling me half of the truth', she'd admitted to him just a week ago.<p>

Quinn divulges her talks with Santana, without exposing too much of her side. She doesn't want her friend to hear about it all and feel she can't trust anyone after all. But, truth is, even Quinn is wondering how much of the truth she is even getting from Santana considering the things she hears from Kurt about Brittany and even what she hears from Brittany herself.

"Brittany thought it'd be a swell idea to go through Santana's text messages with Trish," Quinn starts as she untwists the top to her water and takes a quick sip. "Again."

"Behind her back?" Rachel asks in mild shock, only because she's kind of surprised something like this hasn't happened already.

"Oh no," Quinn shakes her head. "Santana was sitting right there while she read them." She quirks an eyebrow showing her disapproval. "Actually, Santana told her to read them."

"Bad?" Rachel inquires with concern and she scrunches her nose awaiting the inevitable answer, because judging her girlfriend's face she already knows.

"Very." Kurt interjects and nods. "Santana has sincerely dug herself deep here. Those texts were nothing short of inappropriate." He half rolls his eyes and leans an elbow on the table taking his straw between his fingers.

"So, she _has_ been cheating?" Rachel adjusts in her chair beside Quinn who rubs her eyes with her fingers and purses her lips.

"She _says_ 'no', according to what she's said to me and that's what Brittany said she said." Quinn lets out in a tired sigh. "But, I mean, she did not make her case look good with those texts." Kurt shakes his head in utter agreement.

Their discussion is momentarily interrupted when the food arrives. They each thank the server when their meal is placed in front of them and they wait until the woman is out of ear shot before they dive right back into things.

"I know that none of here really want to know the details or sorts of their sexual activities," Kurt begins once they start eating in silence and his words garner some curious stares from the girls. "But, Britt said they haven't really been…" He wobbles his head from side to side and wide eyes his food, avoiding the words used to say what he is insinuating. Rachel looks at her food uncomfortably and Quinn shifts in her seat as she fixes her plate to the perfect angle.

"I mean, they are also super busy and with almost opposite schedules." Quinn adds as she shoves a fry in her mouth and shrugs her shoulders. "So, that has to be taken into account as well." She explains after adding another fry.

"Well, isn't it kind of weird that Santana is always going to these study groups anyway?" Rachel chimes in as she cuts into her vegan meatball sandwich. "Especially when this girl allegedly runs the group and her girlfriend is not too keen on the 'relationship' that 'doesn't exist'." She shakes her head at the holes in Santana's story and defense. To her, it just doesn't make much sense for someone to go to all the trouble of maintaining a connection to someone who has been causing unnecessary drama in her life.

"I agree." Kurt says after he swallows a bite of his salad. "All I keep thinking about is back in freshman year when Santana was practically in Brittany's shoes." He adds, reminding all three of them about the guy from Brittany's class that tried to put the moves on her. It was not a great moment in their relationship, but they moved past it because Brittany was honest. Well, a lot more honest with Santana than Santana is apparently being with Brittany right now.

"Yeah," Quinn nods in understanding, because she can see it from both sides. "But, I mean, Brittany even said it herself that she is not that girl that demands things of Santana. Truth is, she's never really been. It makes sense for her to in this situation, but also, she's very different from all of us." Quinn defends and gets agreeing nods all around.

"I guess." Rachel shrugs her shoulders and continues to cut her sandwich into bite size pieces.

The three spend the rest of their lunch commenting here and there about their friends while trying to continue a 'regular' lunch date.

* * *

><p>"Hey." Santana greets when she walks through the door of their apartment. Brittany looks over her shoulder from her spot on the couch and half smiles.<p>

"Hi." She replies softly before returning her attention back to the magazine she has in her hand.

Santana kicks her work shoes off and slowly takes her jacket off. She watches Brittany flip through the magazine with the television on as background noise she supposes. It feels like she's been walking on eggshells in her own home. Whenever she leaves the house, she can't help but feel like Brittany is wondering where she's going, even if she tells her.

Brittany stares blankly at the pages of her magazine, not even paying attention to the noise coming from the television. She hadn't been watching and in fact, she hadn't even been reading when Santana came home. She just knew she was going to be home any minute and she didn't want it to be obvious that she was sitting around thinking. She feels like every time, these days, that she is sitting anywhere in silence that Santana will know what she's thinking. Santana always knows what she's thinking either way, but at least with half distractions in front of her, maybe it wouldn't be too obvious.

Brittany doesn't want to think so much. Not about these things anyway. She hates that whenever Santana leaves their apartment, for whatever reason, her mind goes to bad places. There are thoughts of Santana sneaking behind her back to go and meet Trish flood her brain and is followed by this tug in her gut that makes her sick.

Just as Santana is about to make her way towards the couch, her cell phone beeps, alerting her of a new text message. She clenches her jaw and breathes through her nose as she narrows her eyes at the offending electronic on the table against the wall. It's a text message from Trish and the fourth one today at that. She decided about a week and a half ago that being in study group was not something she needed in her life any longer. The other girls in group still hooked her up with notes here and there, but the stress of having Trish in her life when it was clearly a burden on her life with Brittany was simply not worth it.

It was another text asking her if she was going to be joining them this evening for group. It was also another text that Santana was going to leave unanswered. She figured that it might be a little easier ignoring and avoiding Trish than it would be to explain the problems the girl was causing in her life. Even if there was a part of her that felt as though it was all a misunderstanding, she just couldn't take that chance, not with the fate of her relationship with Brittany being in some strange, hanging, balance type situation.

Turning her phone to silent, she leaves it on the table, hopefully avoiding anymore unwanted interruptions from the girl who is the current issue in her relationship. As she heads over towards the couch, her fingers play with the ring that still sits perfectly on the ring finger of her left hand. It's what reminds her of what is important. It grounds her when she feels like things are getting too far away from her grasp and what helps her ease the ache in her chest when she feels that things are getting too much.

"How was your day off?" Santana asks as she slips onto the couch from the arm rest and to the spot beside Brittany.

She leaves a little space between their bodies, not wanting to completely invade her girlfriend's personal space. For a moment, she inwardly smacks herself, because that has never been something for her to worry about. Brittany's personal space was always her personal space and vice versa. But, as of late, it seems they have somewhat acquired lines that separate them from one another.

"It was okay." Brittany replies in a quiet voice, not taking her eyes off of the magazine in her lap. Santana is about to give in and give up on skating around on this thin ice they are sitting in the middle of, just a second away from going to their bedroom to curl up into a ball all alone and sad. But, then she feels Brittany's hand on her thigh and her heart swells. "You?" She asks, finally turning her head from the article she hasn't been reading and sends Santana a gentle smile.

"Same." She answers and smiles at the gesture. She feels comforted when Brittany's fingers squeeze her leg and she shuffles her body a little closer until she can easily lean her head on her girlfriend's shoulder. "I missed you." She admits in a small voice and closes her eyes when Brittany's head leans onto her own.

"You're silly." Brittany giggles and turns her head to her lips press to Santana's head. "I missed you too." She whispers into her hair and kisses her again in the same spot.

They spend the rest of the night just like that. Silently sitting on the couch, sharing bits and pieces of their day that are kind of boring but it's a comforting kind of boring. They don't watch the television that's on and Brittany sets the magazine aside to show that she is paying more attention to Santana. They say 'I love you' and they kiss some before they finally give in to sleep.

It isn't much, but it is definitely better than past days have been. It only reminds Santana that she hasn't been paying much attention to their relationship and kind of taking it for granted. Its tonight that reminds her of what is the most important part of her life and who is involved in that. It's also tonight that she decides she needs to address the elephant in the room.

* * *

><p>When she walks in, she looks around until she spots Trish sitting at the bar by herself. Her bag is hanging off the back of her chair and a half finished pint of beer sits in her hand. Just as Santana reaches her, Trish looks over her shoulder and smiles. Santana tries to smile back, but she finds it a difficult task, considering what she has come here to do. In her mind, she can see another version of herself in this very spot, shaking her head at everything.<p>

"Thought you were standing me up." She admits sheepishly and looks down, shifting her bag to the side so Santana can squeeze in to the chair beside her.

"No, I just," Santana sighs and takes her seat at the bar next to Trish. "I had a few things to take care of first." She half smiles at her and then glances over her shoulder to the door she'd just came in through.

Actually, what made her late was that she wasn't even sure she should have initiated this meeting. There's this weight in her gut that makes her want to throw up and cry. But, more than that, she kind of wants to punch herself in the face. Brittany knew. Quinn warned her. Yet, she still managed to get herself in quite the predicament. She's usually an awesome judge of character. Santana can tell a douche bag from a decent human being. But here, she has been led astray, so much for letting down her guard and giving people the benefit of the doubt.

"You sounded kind of serious on the phone." Trish breaks the momentary silence and waves her hand towards the bartender to come over. "Beer?" She asks as the guy is heading in their direction.

"Oh, no I'm good." Santana lets out a shaky breath and sets her hands palm down to the bar top.

"Okay." Trish drawls out and eyes the other girl curiously. "So..." She tilts her head and half smirks at the way Santana shifts awkwardly in her chair. "Does this 'meet up' have something to do with you avoiding me?" She asks and the way Santana's eyes dart up to meet hers, tells her that it does in fact have everything to do with that.

"Yeah, kind of." She admits in a low voice and clears her throat as she watches her hand settle down onto the bar top.

"Alright." Trish leans her chin in her hand and rests her elbow onto the bar top and half smiles. "Then, tell me what's up." She offers easily enough and goes to place her hand on top of Santana's, but she is surprised at the way Santana pulls it back and sits up right in her chair.

"The touching," Santana starts a little loudly and shakes her head from side to side while looking down at where her index finger is picking at the table. "And the flirting, the text flirting, it's gotta stop." She says firmly and sets her palm down to the counter of the bar again when she is sure it's safely away from Trish's grasp. Finally, she lifts her eyes up to meet Trish's.

"I'm _sorry_," Trish says sarcastically and with a smirk on her lips. "But, if you actually read our text messages, you're flirting right back sweetie." She gives a head tilt like she's made a huge game winning point and Santana can only feel her gut drop more.

"Well, I_ wasn't _writing them with the intention of flirting." Santana quickly defends. "Regardless, it's gotta stop. It not only makes me uncomfortable," She shifts in her seat and uses her finger to poke the counter like she's posting the points out there. "But it's completely inappropriate. I'm _practically_ married." Santana exclaims and runs her fingers through her hair quickly.

"But," Trish eyes her up and down subtly. "You're not though." She leans her forearm comfortably onto the bar top and rests her cheek to her palm. "You're not even _really_ engaged." Santana slits her eyes at Trish and clenches her jaw as the girl smirks with her gaze going freely up and down her body. "I think it's kind of funny, in a cute way of course, that you two _actually_ think that this whole high school sweetheart thing is going to turn into a long term deal." Trish chuckles, obviously by herself, while Santana crosses her arms over her chest.

"If I were you I would have stopped talking, like, two minutes ago." She hisses.

"You can't tell me you haven't thought about it." Trish's tone seems surprised that this idea could have danced its way around Santana. But, according to the head tilt she receives in response tells her otherwise. "I mean, you're still in your _first serious_ relationship. How do you know there's not something, someone better out there? Maybe your _girlfriend_ isn't even what _you want_?" Her voice is a bit softer but not any less predatory and Santana's stomach turns at the way this conversation is going. She shakes her head, letting her eyes fall down to her lap and she watches the way her legs cross at the knee.

"You don't know _anything_ about what I want." Santana says in a low voice while slightly clenching her jaw and flicks her eyes in Trish's direction. "This was a bad idea." She mumbles to herself and sets her hand on the bar top, prepared to hop off the stool and get out of this place before it turns into a worse situation. But, when she feels a warm, foreign hand cover her own, it hits her that she passed 'worse' as soon as she stepped inside the bar.

"What?" Trish asks and leans closer to Santana. "I think you knew exactly what you were doing when you asked me to meet you here." She licks her lips and Santana watches the way her eyes flicker down to her own lips.

"Stop it." Santana jerks her head back and yanks her hand out from under Trish's and places it on her own lap. "I don't know what _you_ _think_ is going on here, but I'm not interested. I'm with Brittany." She clicks her tongue and rolls her eyes, letting them stare at the ceiling for a moment. "And if I'm lucky, she'll actually forgive me for being so naive and stupid." She shakes her head at herself, replaying all of the warnings and worried pleads from her girlfriend and best friend. "Look," She hops off of the bar stool and grabs her things. "I came here to ask you to respect my relationship and that nothing is going to ever happen." She shrugs the strap of her bag onto her shoulder and holds onto it with both hands and stares on as Trish moves from her own chair to stand in from of her. "So, now that I have… I guess I'll see you around." Before she can turn around to head out the way she came in, Trish's hands are on her shoulders and her lips on her own.

Her hands let go of the bags strap and she pushes them onto Trish's chest to get the girl's lips off of hers. When they are finally off of her own she shakes her head because she is pretty sure this is a nightmare. Trish smirks and shrugs her shoulders as she places her hands into the back pockets of her jeans.

"Quinn was right, you're one crazy, calculated bitch." Santana spits out as she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand.

Normally, she'd find some choice words for her, but right now all Santana wants to do is go home and figure out how to confront Brittany about everything that has just transpired. What she isn't expecting is to find Brittany standing outside of the bar at the glass door with the saddest face Santana has ever seen. Just as she goes to make her way to the door and explain things, Brittany is gone and the flash of blonde that follows only tells her that Quinn had seen it all as well.

* * *

><p>At a random, hole in the wall bar, Brittany distraughtly nurses a beer while Quinn does her best at the role of comforting. She rubs her friends back as she sobs and gulps alcohol, not sure if she should stop the latter to stray from the former. But, she reasons due to previous moments, she'll just let her be and simply be there for her.<p>

"I just don't know who to be mad at more." Brittany cries out as she cradles the bottle of beer in front of her on the bar. Quinn grimaces and tries to soothe her friend by rubbing her back in longer, softer circles. "I mean, is _Santana_ blind? That girl might as well lay naked in front of her. I'm not crazy right?" She looks at Quinn who's pouting her lower lip and shakes her head.

"No," Quinn says. "You're not crazy."

"That… she… my girlfriend…" She sobs, but tries to muffle it by sipping her beer. Even though Quinn didn't get the full sentence, she is sure if was going in the direction of 'that bitch'. "I just…" Brittany tries again and only continues after a gulp and another chug of beer. "I _knew_ that girl was bad news." Her shoulders shake and Quinn knows that she is trying her hardest to control her crying because they are in a public place.

Quinn wants so badly to say, 'yes Brittany, you were right for wanting Santana to distance herself from that girl'. But, she doesn't. This time it's not because she doesn't want to pick sides or get stuck in the middle, it's because sometimes being there is more important.

"And Santana!" Brittany pretty much announces and slams her fist. Quinn glances around, but only a few of the bars patrons even take notice. "She said, 'B, there's nothing to worry about'." She chuckles, but it's a sarcastic, slightly intoxicated one. "And then _they're kissing_."

When Brittany leans forward, rests her head to the bar top and starts to silently cry again, Quinn kisses her head and cheek. She doesn't see the point in trying to process the facts and sift through them with the drunken emotional wreck that is Brittany.

Maybe when the crying has somewhat subsided and the drunken haze has turned into a semi upsetting hangover, Quinn will remind Brittany that _Trish_ is the one who kissed Santana. And that as soon as it happened, it was over. To remind her that she'd run off just when Santana saw her at the door and how she was already gone when Santana was coming for her. But, now isn't the time because Brittany isn't in the right state of mind or heart for that matter.

"Santana cheated." Brittany's words slur together and she tilts her head to the side to look at Quinn. "Q, she _cheated_ on me."

"Oh, BB." Quinn sighs, letting her head lower down to reach Brittany eye level. "I think it's time to get you to bed." At this, Brittany frowns.

"Please, don't take me home." She mumbles as she lets Quinn ease her from the bar stool. "I mean, not _my_ home." She clarifies, throwing her arms around her friend's neck. "I don't want to see her or talk to her ever again." Brittany sputters, pointing her finger to make sure she's being direct.

"Well, not forever hun," Quinn chimes in. "Just not tonight, right?" Brittany takes a few moments and when they start to head in the direction of Quinn's apartment she nods.

"You're right. Just for tonight." She agrees with a huff, almost sound more upset at the fact that she knows she can't simply stop communication with Santana right now as well as forever.

* * *

><p>It's very late by the time Brittany eventually comes back home. It's been about two days since everything happened and Santana is standing in the middle of the living room when she walks in.<p>

"Never mind, she's here." Santana tells whoever is on the other line before she tosses her phone to the couch. It bounces off of a cushion and clanks down to the hardwood floor, but neither flinches at the sound.

Santana takes a few steps towards Brittany who closes the door to their apartment slowly. Standing only a few feet away from one another, the silence is palpable. Santana chews on the inside of her cheek and plays with a piece of loose sting on her sweat pants.

"Where have you been?" She settles on. Her tone isn't accusatory or angry, but it's not sweet or overly concerned either.

Brittany averts her eyes, watching as her hand places her keys down. Her eyebrows rise slightly as she tugs on her jacket to take it off. She can see out of the corner of her eye that Santana has finally settled on crossing her arms over her stomach. A tell-tale sign that she's nervous but worried.

"I called you, like, a _zillion_ times." She tries a different approach, playing the 'I've tried reaching out card'. Brittany smirks and shakes her head. She's not amused, but not surprised that Santana would try and make her feel guilty for not answering her calls, when they so obviously needed to talk. "Quinn told me you stayed with them." She offers the spec of information she's been privy to the last couple of days.

Brittany hadn't thought past here, the part where she's already calmly rested her keys on the table and coolly took her jacket off. Now she's standing three feet away from the door, five feet away from Santana and a million miles away from a coherent thought.

"Are you gonna say anything?" Santana asks with a small amount of desperation and cocks a hip to the side. This little body movement tells Brittany that Santana is growing impatient, but is willing to stand here all night even if she's the only one talking.

It becomes clear to her that now is not the moment to do this. She just can't have this conversation right now, not yet. Seeing Santana after not seeing her for two whole days is like she's just gotten her first gulp of air after finally reaching the surface. But, on the same note, seeing Santana after not seeing her after what happened leaves a sour taste on her tongue and is making her tummy grumble with sadness.

"I…" Brittany starts. She tries to look at Santana, but wills her focus on the wall. "I can't." She shakes her head and moves to walk by Santana.

"Britt." She steps in her way, desperate to find those blue eyes. "Please." She begs. But, Brittany only lowers her head, shakes it once more and walks around her.

"I'm sleeping in the guest room." Brittany says as she vanishes down the hall and leaves Santana all alone in the living room for the third night in a row.

When Santana hears the guest room door close she cringes. This isn't a regular fight. It's not going to be solved by some pouting or sexy striptease. Tomorrow morning she's going to wake up on the couch, again. For a moment, Santana thinks about going into the guest room and trying to coax Brittany into talking to her. Maybe if she apologizes profusely for all of this, this mess, then Brittany will be more than willing to communicate.

As she walks to the couch and lets her body fall to it, she sighs. No, that whole being sweet and soft wasn't going to work. So, she thinks that maybe she'll just rush in there and demand Brittany to talk to her. Or at least just listen to her. Give Santana the chance to explain and defend herself. But, then in that moment of thinking of the words she'd use in her defense, she realizes that she's wrong. She is so totally, one hundred percent the guilty party.

True, Trish is the one who flirted but Santana did nothing to stop it. And yes, Santana pushed Trish away just as she brushed their lips together. But, did it even have to get to that point? All she can see is where she is now. Broken hearted and alone and more mad at herself than the fates of this awful world because this is all her fault. She's hurt the most important person in her entire life and it is all her fault. She is supposed to protect Brittany, not cause her pain.

Santana swings her legs up and onto the couch, letting the top half of her body slide down so she's lying flat on her back. Her arm comes up to cover her eyes and she sighs as she closes them. This is not how she expected her week to go.

* * *

><p>"I think that what Santana did is one hundred percent wrong and Brittany is absolutely right in punishing her." Rachel tells the group, getting a perplexed, semi understanding stare from her girlfriend.<p>

"Okay, yeah." Quinn interjects before Rachel can continue. "I mean, don't talk to me for two days and don't come home. But, isn't there a limit of complete silence?" She explains from Santana's point of view.

"Of course you would side with Santana." Rachel huffs and Quinn rolls her eyes. Meanwhile, Kurt watches them and listens carefully as he puts the finishing touches on his final project for FIT.

"Actually Rachel, I'm not siding with anyone." She tells her straight forwardly. "I just happen to think that, while what Santana did or didn't do as the case may be, wasn't exactly girlfriend of the year material, she deserves a chance to try and redeem herself."

"The only way that'll happen is if Britt forgets any of this happened, which is obviously highly unlikely." Kurt adds as he sips on his latte, a momentary break from his school work.

"I don't know how she's doing it." Quinn mumbles as she reaches for her own coffee drink.

"Me neither." Rachel says. "If I were Brittany…"

"I was talking about Santana." Quinn cuts her off. They have a short lived stare down, which Quinn wins and Kurt lets out a long sigh before continuing his work.

"Did she tell you about the picture messages?" He asks, lifting his gaze from his computer for a second. Quinn nods and Rachel shakes her head. "'The girl'," As Trish has been dubbed by the trio. "Sent Santana these half naked pics via text message." He shakes his head in disbelief that any of this has gotten this far. "I was having this discussion with Blaine, and we both came to the agreement that even texting is cheating."

"Really?" Rachel questions curiously.

"Totally." Quinn chimes in before sipping her hot beverage and nodding. "I mean, did you even see half of the shit that 'the girl' sent S? It's truly ridiculous it has taken this to happen for her to see it." She also shakes her head because she definitely gave her best friend the benefit of the doubt which was clearly foolish.

"Oh, shh." Kurt says as he closes his laptop and sits straight up in his chair. "Hey Cookie." He greets Brittany who has just walked through the door of the café.

"Hey guys." She forces a smile on her face as well as the wave she offers before sitting down beside her best guy and gal pal.

"You hungry?" Quinn asks, looking around for their waitress.

"No, I'm fine." Brittany assures her, reaching to grab Quinn's arm before she raises it to get the attention of the woman by the counter.

"How are things?" Kurt asks her in a soft but concerned tone and places his hand on her arm. She smiles gratefully over at him and lowers her chin to her chest.

"Honestly," She takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "I have no idea." She chuckles, but it's sadder than it is anything else and her friends offer her some supportive looks of 'I know what you mean and it's okay'.

Before anyone else can get the chance to change the topic of conversation, their attention is stolen by a loud entrance by a group of girls. The four of them look up from their little group and glance over at the door to find another foursome. Just as the girls move to get seated, Quinn's eyes widen and her jaw drops slightly. Kurt flinches and Rachel flickers her eyes in Brittany's direction. Brittany, well, she simply stares back at the girl that had single handedly put a dent in her otherwise perfect life. There's definitely something to be said about a girl going after someone in a relationship.

As if sensing the shift in the air, Trish turns her head and smirks to herself when her eyes land on Brittany and the rest of her gang of misfits. She quickly averts her eyes and goes to join her friends, but her attention is once again stolen by the blonde when she finds her standing in front of her. They stare at one another for a few long seconds and Trish waits for a tongue lashing from Brittany, but it never comes.

"What, are you gonna hit me?" Trish challenges, giggling to her little minion friends making Brittany furrow her brow and clench her fists at her sides. She's pretty certain that Brittany has a few choice words for her, but when they don't come she just snickers more.

"Come on Britt, let's go." Kurt says and tugs at Brittany's sleeve, but she just yanks it back.

"I'm not going to hit you." Brittany admits quietly but with the little bit of venom she's got stored away since her Cheerio days and even receives wide eyes from Kurt. Trish smirks and mumbles something to her friends about Brittany being weak.

"Britt isn't gonna hit you, but I am." Quinn announces as she steps up, pushes Trish by the shoulders and slugs her right in the nose.

"Oh my nose!" Trish's hands fly up to her injured face.

"Bitch." Quinn spits out and then within seconds or minutes, the Lima clique is out.

* * *

><p>A few days after the incident at the café, the couple is still living sort of like roommates. They haven't really discussed much of what has happened or what has become of them. Santana doesn't want to broach the topic for fear of pushing Brittany even further away. Brittany doesn't start a much needed conversation because she fears it will only hurt her more.<p>

After Santana heard about Quinn punching Trish in the face, which according to her old study group friends fucked her nose up, she figured things would be kind of okay. That Quinn's ass kicking would have somehow redeemed the short comings of one Santana Lopez. But, this did not seem to be how things would go.

"Can you stop that?" Brittany calls out from the kitchen.

"Stop what?" Santana asks, momentarily stunned that Brittany said more than two words to her. She looks over her shoulder seeing that her girlfriend is keeping her blue eyes focused on her cereal.

"Clicking your pen." She sighs out. "It's annoying." Santana looks at the pen in her hand, thumb on the button ready to click away.

"Oh," She breathes out. "Sorry."

"Yeah, what else is new?" Brittany mumbles before spooning some breakfast into her mouth. Santana closes her eyes so she can freely roll them in secret.

It's been hard to deal with this angry version of Brittany. Everything she does is now annoying. Everything she says gets ignored and her presence is rarely acknowledged. Her bed has become the couch and Brittany has been staying in the guest room most nights. Sometimes, she stays at Quinn's.

"My end of the year show is Thursday." Brittany says softly as if she's just remembered. Truth is, she's been wondering if she even wanted to remind Santana about something so important going on in her academic life and possibly her future. She pushes her chair back, puts her bowl in the sink and turns back to push her chair in. "It's at seven-thirty." Her shoulders shrug and her eyes lift to look over at Santana who is looking back at her from the couch. "I could leave a ticket for you at the door." She offers with extreme uncertainty. When she's able to, Santana snaps out of surprise, half smiles and nods.

"I'd like that." She tells Brittany, who nods back but soon enough her eyes are looking elsewhere and she's down the hallway.

Santana breathes out a heavy sigh when she hears the guest room door shut. She runs her fingers through her hair and lifts her pen to her lips. Of course she knew the show was Thursday. She'd put it in her calendar the day Brittany found out. Regardless of whether or not there is a ticket set aside for her, she is going to that show.

Behind the shut door of the guest room, Brittany lets out a long sigh. Her hands come up to cover her face, smooth her hair and tighten her ponytail. Fighting or not fighting, Brittany still wants Santana to be at her show. This is what everything she's done these past four years has been leading up to. She'd already put a ticket aside for Santana. Even with everything going on, she's still an important part of her life. She's just not sure what that part is anymore.


	29. Chapter 29

Sundays are normally spent at Nelson's for Santana. Brunch starts off at ten in the morning and she usually spends the entire shift with Quinn purposely ignoring their tables to avoid outrageous requests. However, this Sunday is completely different. Instead of goofing around with Quinn and the rest of the Nelson's staff, Santana has taken a sick day. Technically, she's not sick. But her life currently makes her sick to her stomach.

She figures her body is just used to waking up early, because when her eyes pop open at seven, she doesn't really think twice about it. Of course she groans and does not appreciate it very much, but it also gave her enough time to call in and get her shift covered. It's not like they can't use the extra cash. They can always use more money, especially since they had that not exactly planned Disney trip that had only just briefly discussed. But, they also aren't exactly poor so she figures missing one day is not going to be much of a big deal.

For the past three hours, she's been sitting on the couch flipping through channels and not exactly watching anything in particular. She thought about making some pancakes, but eventually decided against. After she'd made her second cup of coffee, she just didn't feel much like getting up from the couch again.

A little after one in the afternoon, a third cup of coffee, bottle of water and a phone call from Quinn, Santana wonders if Brittany is ever going to come out of the guestroom. With a furrowed brow, she looks over her shoulder to the table that's against the wall. For a moment, Santana considered that maybe Brittany had gone somewhere early in the morning, even earlier than when she had gotten up. But, her keys are still sitting right there on the table where they always are when she's home.

Looking at her cell phone on the coffee table in front of her, Santana considers calling Brittany. That maybe if she used technology to talk, not being face to face and all, that she would be more willing to get into a conversation. But, that's stupid. Brittany is a one on one, face to face type of person. She's not one to go into things without getting the chance to read someone's facial expressions or their body language. That's one of the super powers that Brittany has that Santana loves the most. It's a reason they get along so well, or, used to anyhow. Santana never really had say anything, yet Brittany would know everything.

Santana misses that, a lot.

At some point, Santana must have fallen asleep, because the next time she opens her eyes it's five-thirty. She yawns and wonders how long she's been asleep for. As she stretches and moves into a sitting position, she realizes that it had to be easy for her to fall back asleep considering she spent all morning in her new bed. While she pulls her hair up into a ponytail, she wonders if Brittany has woken up yet. She turns her head around, as though corners of the room will fill her in on whether her girlfriend has been lurking outside of the guestroom.

She pushes herself up from the couch and pulls down the bit of her shirt that had ridden up during her power nap and moves into the kitchen. When she notices the still half filled coffee pot sitting there, untouched, she knows that Brittany is still locked away behind the first door on the right of the hallway. With a sigh, she pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes in exhaustion. There's no other option here but to go and check on her.

When she reaches her destination, she suddenly becomes nervous. She isn't sure if she is supposed to try and get into it, or just see what is going on in there. Eventually, Santana lightly taps on the guest room door and leans against the wall near the door frame waiting for a response from inside the room. After she hears a faint 'come in' she carefully opens the door and steps into the dimly lit bedroom that is normally reserved for family who are visiting and friends who need to crash for some odd reason. But, now, she walks into the room as if it were Brittany's own personal bedroom. That's how it feels these days anyhow.

When she spots her girlfriend, she finds her under the covers in the bed on her side, facing her. One side of her mouth tugs up, but she fights against it. She wants to smile, simply because Brittany looks so darn cute. But, she can't find it in her to smile because Brittany looks so darn sad. For a moment, they lock eyes and Santana forgets what she even came in here for. Actually, she's pretty sure she didn't have an actual reason except for the need of proximity to the girl she loves so very much.

"Are you feeling okay?" Santana asks, chancing a step towards the bed. She cringes at her choice of words. Of course Brittany is not 'okay'. She looks as miserable as Santana feels.

"I don't know." She admits quietly and with a shrug of her shoulders. Santana nods, tucks some hair behind her ears and crosses then uncrosses her arms over her stomach.

"Are you sick?" Santana ventures further into the bedroom, only stopping when she's only two feet away from the bed and from Brittany. "You've been in here all day."

"I don't know." Brittany once more replies with such uncertainty that Santana's heartbreaks all over again.

"Do you just want me to leave you alone?" She finally asks, exhausted with the fact that she and Brittany need to tell one another what they need these days, rather than just knowing.

But, the offer of allowing Brittany to tell her what she wants and needs goes without a response, leaving Santana in even more of an unknowing rut than before she came into the room. She lets some air out through her nose and nods, watching the way Brittany's eyes fall from her face and down to the corner of the pillow case that her fingers are tugging at. Right when she decides to surrender and turn to leave, Santana stops when she feels a hand on her wrist. She looks down and tries not to look so surprised and sort of relieved that Brittany is actually touching her.

"Wait." Brittany begs faintly. "Don't..." Santana is sure she is about to say 'don't go', but for some reason, she stops herself from uttering those words. "Lay with me?" Brittany asks her, letting her grip around Santana's wrist loosen, but her fingers linger longingly against her skin. For a few long seconds, Santana doesn't move or even respond. Eventually she snaps out of it and she nods and mumbles an 'okay' while Brittany shuffles backwards to give her room to get into the bed.

She takes her spot, leaving her back to the bedroom door and faces Brittany for what feels like the first time in so long. They lay there, staring at one another, with barely a foot and a half of space between them. There are so many things Santana wants to say to Brittany and so many things Brittany needs to say to Santana, but none of those things ever come out. Instead, Brittany lifts her hand, letting it come up to rest on Santana's cheek whose eyes flutter at the feeling. She lets her thumb graze over the skin of her cheek and the way it dips to just miss the corner of her mouth and down towards her chin.

Ever so carefully, Brittany leans her head forward, the few inches that is between them, and she licks her lips. Santana can feel her breath hit her mouth and her own chest stutters with anticipation. It happens when she blinks. Brittany's mouth is on hers. They move so comfortably over her own. It's like Brittany's lips were made to kiss Santana's lips. That's what it feels like anyway. That's how it always feels. But, this kiss is a little different. As much as it still feels the same, Santana and Brittany can feel a shift in the air of the guest room. Things aren't better between them. There is still so much to discuss and dissect. But, right now, all Brittany wants is to feel _that_ again.

Brittany needs to know that it's still there. That light. The thing she feels every time she has ever kissed Santana and every time Santana has kissed her. She lets out a hum because she can feel it on the tip of her tongue. That spark that has always awakened her body and soul and mind. It is all still there, but so is the little bit of grey that has seemed to get into all of this wonderful. To get rid of that bitter taste of deceit, Brittany tries to deepen the kiss. She pushes further into Santana and soon enough, there are hands on her body. One hand grabs a fistful of her shirt while the other sits on her hip with fingers desperately pushing any fabric barrier out of the way. Her own hands are wrapped fiercely around the back of Santana's neck, pulling her harder and closer.

Hips give in, moving towards one another with a need that burns deep down. Legs spread to let a leg slip between until they are entwined beneath the bed sheets, so much so that it would be hard to distinguish what belongs to whom. Santana's hand dips cautiously below Brittany's waistband by her hip, letting her hand travel around the back to lightly squeeze the top of her butt. She receives a moan from the action and it only spurs her on to kiss harder and longer and squeezes some more

Tongues move against one another while lips smack and pop to get more. Brittany's hands move from around Santana's neck down to the hem of her shirt. She bunches the material in her fists and moves it up to expose the tanned skin underneath.

At the feeling of the back of Brittany's fingers against her stomach, Santana's breathe hitches in the back of her throat and a small moan escapes. Soon, those hands are inching up to her breasts, rubbing, kneading and squeezing.

Taking that as a go ahead for her to go further, Santana uses both hands to tug Brittany's sweat pants down to the middle of her thighs. She swallows her own gasp at the realization Brittany isn't wearing any panties. Not that it's a huge surprise, because Brittany goes commando whenever she gets the chance. But, it's been so long that it feels as though this moment had been a possibility and that Brittany was simply prepared for it should it arise.

She runs the back of her hand and fingers down Brittany's stomach, stopping when she knows that one inch further and she will be reaching her girlfriend's most intimate spot. Santana opens her eyes when she stills her hands, waiting for Brittany to take notice of her no longer traveling south. She's waiting for a reaction. Some sort of approval to keep going to where she's been so desperate to be for so long. When Brittany opens her eyes, she checks in, but only for a second. With one nod, Brittany closes her eyes again and latches her lips to Santana's lips. With a small bit of reassurance, she begins to lower her hand, letting her fingers graze the smooth skin before coming in contact with the small cropped hairs just above her girlfriend's core.

With a small bit of trepidation, Santana dips a finger inside of Brittany and both girls gasp at the sensation of skin on skin and penetration they have not experienced in a while. Brittany's hips cant forward, needing this more than she had expected. Her hands grip harshly at Santana's breasts causing her to wince slightly at the action, but it does not deter her. Her own hips move forward as her own arousal pools between her legs. Santana slides her finger in and out of Brittany a few times before adding another and then picks up her speed and pressure. A sound creeps from the back of Brittany's throat and causes Santana's eyes to open instantly. Brittany's eyes are squeezed tightly shut and the corners of her mouth are turned down. Her chin quivers and her lower lip jut out in the way that tells Santana she is holding back tears.

"Britt?" Santana breathes out with concern and haste. She stills her hand, fingers still buried inside of Brittany. "Brittany." She says her name again when her girlfriend doesn't respond verbally, but instead lets out a strangled sob she so desperately has been trying to hold on to and control. "Hey." She whispers, bringing her other hand up to cup Brittany's cheek, letting her thumb press into her chin.

The kiss to Brittany's forehead is what breaks her. She falls apart in Santana's arms prompting the fingers inside of her to be removed. Arms wrap around her half naked body and pull her close as she struggles to pull herself together. Santana tries her hardest to soothe the broken girl in her arms, but she feels useless. Even worse, she's responsible for all of this. All of these tears and uncertainty and awkwardness are her fault. Soon enough, she starts allowing a heavy stream of tears to flow from her own eyes.

"I am so sorry." Santana murmurs into blonde hair. "God, I'm so sorry." She repeats. It's the only thing she can think to say right now.

Everything is crashing down around them and the only words Santana can come up with are 'I'm sorry'. It's kind of a sad joke. The one person in the word Santana has ever tried to keep safe is the exact person she has hurt. 'I love you' is on the tip of her tongue, but she's afraid it'll ignite some much bigger fight with mean words that, though not meant, hurt just the same.

Even so, she deserves those words. She deserves to be torn down and ridiculed and all of that. She was wrong and in so many ways.

"I love you." It slips out of her mouth before she knows it. She didn't mean to, but apparently she has lost control of any and every thing.

Brittany's crying does not subside, but her hands flatten against Santana's chest and she pushes her. Uncertain if she is being pushed away or off of the bed, Santana pulls back to look at Brittany's face. Her eyes are still closed and her mouth is still turned upside down. With a sniffle, she pulls her girlfriend's head closer into her neck and rests her chin at the top of blonde hair. She tries to rub smooth circles on her back as Brittany continues to rack into fits of tears.

"Then why?" Brittany's question comes out as if she is choking on the words. It's so quiet that it barely comes out and Santana more or less feels the words reverberate against her body and into her heart rather than hear them with her ears. "Why?"

They lay there for a little while longer. Santana lets the words of 'why' and 'how could you' echo off of the walls of their guest room, because answering them right now would only cause more heartache on both parts. Not because the answers would be bad or hurtful, but because it would only bring them back to the beginning where they would just continue on in this vicious cycle of misunderstandings and unintended deceit.

When Brittany wakes up, she must have fallen asleep at some point, she is alone in the guest room and the door is closed. The spot in front of her and beside her is cold, letting her know that Santana has been gone for a while. The clock on the small dresser against the wall tells her that her other half is most likely sleeping by now, seeing as it is past midnight.

A part of her wants to pick herself up and out of this bed that feels so foreign against her body and grad herself into the living room and fall back asleep in Santana's arms. But the heavy weight in her chest is what anchors her further down into the mattress that smells nothing like the beautiful mixed scents of Santana and herself.

* * *

><p>Work has been incredibly different than it normal is. Though they have worked their usual shifts together since the incident that has put a major dent in the fairytale world of Santana and Brittany, Quinn and Santana have been somewhat distant. It's not so much on purpose, really, but Quinn can't quite understand Santana's position. Yet, she also can somewhere, underneath all the bullshit, feel for her in this sad time.<p>

Brittany's been over their apartment more and more, not wanting to be around Santana because they have yet to really sit down and discuss everything. Quinn had advised her that avoiding it for too long would only make everything worse, while Rachel agrees that Brittany has every right to give Santana the cold shoulder as well as the silent treatment for however long she feels necessary.

So, when Quinn gets to work and sees her staring off into space, she desperately wants to walk up behind her and slap in her in the back of her head. Not just for being a total idiot, but because now she's causing problems in her own relationship with Rachel. If they can't see eye to eye on the way other relationships go, then how can they see eye to eye on their own relationship? But, as she gets closer to her friend, she brushes that second part off, because her problems with Rachel are definitely not Santana's fault.

"You sure screwed this one up." Quinn says as she approaches Santana leaning at the counter at work.

"Thanks." She mutters to herself. "Great pep talk, Q." She rolls her eyes and spins around so her friend can see her disapproving glare.

"You asked for it, so I'm gonna give it." Quinn dishes.

"I don't recall asking for your two cents." Santana spits out in annoyance. It's enough that she sucks at life and knows it, but the being told is getting kind of old.

"Maybe not exactly, but as your best friend, I feel it's my duty to tell you when you've fucked up, royally." She tilts her head to the side as she pulls her apron around her waist and ties it in the back.

"I don't need to be reminded. Brittany does it enough for the both of you...and me." Santana sighs in frustration and sadness. "Besides, you have no idea." She shakes her head and gives her friend a good stare down.

"Here's what I do know." Quinn decides on after a few seconds of internal deliberation. "You were warned. I told you to watch your step." She quirks an eyebrow for good measure as her friend silently listens. "Practically begged you. But, no." She shakes her head and raises her hands as though impersonating Santana when she tried to give her all of the advice. "You knew better than all of us and look what happens when you don't listen." Quinn basically shouts in the rather empty kitchen as a mother would scold her child. "We all know, and by 'we' I mean Brittany and myself, that you're stubborn and think you're 'all knowing'." She rolls her eyes and shoves her pans and notepads into her apron pockets. "And most of the time that's why we love you." She reasons with a shrug of her shoulders. "But, this time you fucked up. Sometimes you've gotta just listen." With that, she takes a long breath and lets it out slowly. She watches as her words swim in and around Santana.

There's nothing else she can really say because they are at work and it's not the place to get into a long emotional and fucked up conversation. So, with a nod of her head that ends the small chit chat, she turns to go out to the dining room, leaving Santana alone to think about what she's done.

The shift goes as any shift would go. It's chock full of annoying customers as well as the really great tip that only balances out the extremely shitty tip. Santana pretends to enjoy her tables company and their astounding wit, placating them with fake chuckles here and there. Anytime she and Quinn cross paths, she considers pulling her aside to see exactly what Brittany has been telling her.

It's obvious that her girlfriend has been sharing some intimate details of this horrible situation with Quinn and probably Rachel too. God, she didn't even think about Rachel. That girl will most likely give her a good verbal smack down the next time they see one another. Kind of ironic too, considering it was only a few years ago that Rachel had been in some strange, yet similar predicament. She shakes her head at herself though.

The Jesse thing was completely innocent. One hundred percent innocent. There were no possibilities of anything going on there. Well, according to Rachel, Jesse had a girlfriend at the time and seeing as she was with Quinn, clearly nothing was going to arise from their reunion. Also, it's probably a little different, seeing as Jesse and Rachel had some sort of past anyway. Either way, this isn't even about Rachel and her stupid saga from ages ago. This is Santana's problem and one that she helped cause.

When work ends and she and Quinn are cashing out, she remembers that she had been desperate to talk to her best friend. It was only two days ago that she and Brittany had their little almost sex breakdown. She knows exactly what Quinn is going to say when she brings up how she and Brittany were flirting with the sexual boundaries since everything had come about. 'Sex doesn't solve everything'. She can even hear Quinn's annoying, nasally voice saying those words echoing in her mind.

Once they get out onto the sidewalk and are greeted by a gust of an early spring breeze, she feels a little bit of relief and freedom to just air it all out. She clears her throat and adjust the strap of her bag on her shoulder while Quinn's fingers move at a rapid pace across the screen of her cell phone.

"Umm," She begins awkwardly, but it catches Quinn's attention quickly and she lowers her phone to show she's listening. "So, the other day or night, I don't remember." Santana tries again, but with words this time. "Brittany didn't come out of the guest room all morning and it went into the day, so I decided to check on her." Quinn arches an eyebrow and nods her head. "Long story short, she asked me to lay with her. So, I did and then one thing led to another…"

"Sex doesn't solve everything, Santana." Quinn interrupts and Santana uses all her energy not to groan or roll her eyes.

"Well, we didn't, so that statement doesn't really apply." Santana corrects her friend's accusation. "I mean, we almost did, but…"

"What happened?" She asks as they come up to a corner and wait for some cars to move so they can continue on their way home.

"She kissed me." Santana breathes out, as if she'd been holding the air in for days. It sure feels like it, because she still can't really believe that Brittany had kissed her first. "I kissed her back and then her hands were up my shirt." Her eyebrows rise slightly as she recalls the events from the other day. "We were both, like, in sync and so I took the initiative." She glances over at Quinn who has been listening intently while remaining cool, calm and collected.

Normally, she'd throw out little comments about Santana sharing the intimate details of bedroom play between her and Brittany. And no matter how much she protested, Santana would just tell her anyway. But, this time is different. It's different because it's not Santana showing off her lust factor or gloating about how amazing her girlfriend is in bed. It's not even Santana boasting about _her_ being awesome in bed. It isn't about mind blowing sex and orgasms. It's just about two people in a relationship, having problems and how it is affecting all aspects of their lives.

"Of course I made sure it was okay with her, because," She tilts her head to the side and lets out a sigh. "Well, it's been a while." Quinn nods in understanding. If there was one thing she knew from both sides of this fucked up equation, it's that sex has been sort of untouched territory as of recently. "But, then I started fingering her and then all of a sudden…" When the rest of the sentence seems to fade off into the spring breeze, Quinn looks over at her friend to find that her lips are still moving, only words are not coming out. Santana's head shakes from side to side and her eyes remain forward but not focused on anything.

"Was she not…?" Quinn isn't sure how to ask this question, it seems strange and she's not exactly a sex therapist or anything. How does one ask about their friend's arousal? Santana glances at her, briefly, then waves her hand in the air and shakes her head some more.

"No, she was wet." Santana replies easily.

It kind of makes Quinn wonder how Santana finds it so difficult to be more communicative with her girlfriend when she is so comfortable discussing her sex life, down to details. She's sure that there has to be some sort of confidence that goes along with that, she's just not sure what it is. Instead of commenting on that though, she just nods a few times and lets her gaze fall ahead once more.

"She just," Santana pauses for a moment when they come to the corner where they usual part. "She was crying." She shares in a soft voice full of uncertainty. "Not a little crying either, Q. She was sobbing." Her eyes fall to the ground where she watches her shoe kick at some pebbles. "And it wasn't the good kind of crying." Quinn sucks in her lips, nervously biting on the bottom one and tilts her head to the side.

"What are you gonna do then?" Quinn wonders aloud as the crowd around them continues on their way to and from work while they are at a standstill.

"What can I do?" Santana asks in defeat and runs her fingers through her hair. "She won't look at me. Not for long anyway." She clears her throat and swallows the uncomfortable lump in her throat that's been there for days.

"You know, she thinks that day that she saw you at the bar with her," Quinn chimes in after a few long moments of silence. "That you were ending things." Her lips purse and her eyes narrow, trying to see how Santana reacts to this bit of information. In true fashion, her eyebrows scrunch in the middle, forming a crease and her nose pinches at the bridge. "Yeah, I told her that wasn't true." Quinn nods, letting her eyes flicker off to the side for a moment. She knew that Santana was never involved with Trish, even if everything she had done up until that time at the bar did not make her look innocent. "She just, she thinks that everything you told her and every text you showed her, was to placate her. Like, you only showed her the not so bad, which was actually not so good either, to throw her off course." She further explains and the horror on Santana's face does not go unnoticed.

* * *

><p>"How do I know she hasn't been going behind my back the entire time?" Brittany asks with saddened frustration. Kurt had invited her over before she had work so she can give him advice on his 'spring line' project for FIT. "I mean, for all I know, those times she was going to the library or where ever to study, she was with <em>her<em>." She closes her eyes and rubs the lids with the tips of her fingers at the thought of her girlfriend having an affair with that girl. Kurt, who has been trying to keep Brittany distracted with fabrics and stitching lets out a sigh and places down his pencil.

"Sweetie," He starts and places a comforting hand on his friend's thigh. "I _really_ don't think Santana has it in her to do something like that, especially to you." He assures her with a light tap on her leg and he can tell she wants to smile because deep down, she knows that he is probably and most definitely right. "Are you going to talk to her? Are you guys even going to talk about all of this?" He questions, knowing that the duo have yet to go into it.

"Every time I try," She shakes her head before resting it on Kurt's shoulder and taking his hand in her own. "It's like my brain stops working and my heart beats super fast. Besides, everything I want to say to her is mean." Brittany admits shamefully.

"I don't think she can really blame you, bug." Kurt squeezes her hand and places a soft, friendly kiss to her hairline.

"The other night," Brittany takes a deep breath and twists her lips as she prepares to share the events of the other evening. "We almost had sex." She admits and she can tell by the way Kurt's chest swiftly rises that he is surprised. Hell, she's still shocked, not because they almost had sex but because they didn't. "I wanted to." She really wanted it, wanted Santana. "I really did." Her body craved Santana the way someone lost in a desert would crave water. She needed her; she needs her. "I just can't, couldn't stop imagining her with someone other than me." She quietly confesses. "Then I kept thinking about if she thinks of other people like that and then I just remembered everything all over again."

"Oh, Brittany." Kurt sadly sighs, pulling his hand out from Brittany's grasp and wraps his arm around her shoulders. "You two need to talk."

"I know." She mumbles, tugging on one of the strings that are hanging out of the pillow from the couch. "And tomorrow's my show." She reminds not only Kurt, but herself as well and she realizes that is probably what she should be focusing on. "Which I should go and prepare for."

"You're gonna be great." He tells her as she gets up from the couch, not really wanting to but knows she has to. "And I will be there with bells and whistles."

"Oh, we have music, you can leave those at home." Brittany waves the offer off and Kurt's perplexed look goes over her head.

* * *

><p>The small auditorium is half filled, but she figures it's better than not filled at all. She recalls how Brittany told her at some point that they were spreading out the entire studios final shows over four days due to the differences in ages of the classes. The ticket promised was indeed waiting for her, right along with Quinn's who is by her side. Rachel and Kurt are meeting them, but Santana is kind of okay with that because she figures that they are anti-Santana right now.<p>

In her hand is a bouquet of flowers she'd picked up on the way to the show. Quinn had agreed that flowers were a good idea, because they could at least remind Brittany that there is a sweet side to Santana even if no one else knows it. She nervously shifts the bouquet from hand to hand as they sit in the crowd awaiting the beginning of the show that Brittany's studio has prepared.

She is so excited and proud, but those feelings seem so tiny and insignificant all things considered. A part of her wishes that they could use this night to forget and at least pretend that everything is okay, for the sake of Brittany. More than anything, she hates that their relationship problems could in anyway make this night anything but memorable for her. She's worked so hard for this and tonight could open up so many doors and provide Brittany with so many opportunities.

Just before the lights dim and the mini dance troupes are introduced, Kurt and Rachel finally arrive. It's of no surprise to Santana that the two opt for the seats beside Quinn rather than the two she has next to her. Whatever, she thinks, regardless of what is going on, she doesn't feel like spending a whole hour and a half next to either of them. She wants to be allowed to become completely immersed in something that Brittany has created.

Santana sits there in amazement as she watches the way her girlfriend flawlessly choreographed her students' routine. She knows Brittany is a great teacher, hell, she taught most if not all of the Glee club in high school how to dance to their numbers. But, this, this was something incredible. She finds herself smiling when Brittany and the other teachers come out towards the end and do their own routine without their kids. It's then that Santana knows Brittany is going to be dancing for the rest of her life.

After a standing ovation for all of the classes and most importantly the teachers, the auditorium piles out into the hallway where parents find their kids and teachers talk. There are a few suits standing around with clipboards talking amongst one another and Santana wonders if these women and men are some big wig dance people. People that can make things happen for Brittany.

Quinn and Kurt are the first to spot her. She's walking towards them with a bashful, but wide, smile. They tell her how awesome she was and that she really whipped those kids into shape. Of course, she graciously lowers her head and says 'thank you'. But, she's not just thanking them for the compliments, she is thanking them for coming to the show in general. She stands there tightlipped when Rachel rants on about how the lighting could have been better and how specific shades can showcase facial features and dance moves.

By the time she reaches Santana, her head is in a whirlwind. Neither really gives it a second thought when they engulf one another in a tight embrace. They whisper things into each other's ears, like, 'I'm so proud of you' and 'I'm so happy you're here right now'. While they have a sort of momentary, physical and emotional reunion, the other three stand by awkwardly.

When they reach the outside world, the five of them decide this is a night to celebrate and they should go out for some drinks. The whole way there, while Rachel and Kurt discuss how he should look into getting a job making costumes for Brittany's studio when they have recitals, Quinn is busy keeping a respective eye on her best friends. Every couple of steps, Santana's hand brushes Brittany's and it looks as though they might finally grasp onto each other. But, it doesn't seem to happen. When Santana's hand moves away, Brittany's seems to follow the invisible path just to graze her fingers to the back of Santana's hand. It's a slow, unproductive kind torture for Quinn to watch.

She keeps her drinking at bay, just to be sober enough to tell Santana if she's being an asshole or to keep Brittany in check with her own emotions. The last time she was around a drunken Brittany, she was holding her shaking, sobbing body until she fell asleep on her couch. If there's anything she wants to avoid tonight, it's having the couple get into all of this drama in the middle of a bar and on a wonderful night that is supposed to be Brittany's.

Quinn wonders how long these two are going to dance around all of this. Sure, they'll drink tonight, maybe act like everything is completely fine. But, that's just tonight. What about tomorrow? Tomorrow morning when they wake up, with hangovers, are they even going to remember any of this masked kindness. The only thing that somewhat settles Quinn's worried mind is that she can still see it. Past the tears, broken pieces and the misplaced trust, she can still see all of the love that was there before.

The night of celebrating finally comes to a close and the group finds themselves parting ways at the corner. Kurt glances over his shoulder, catching the couple walking closely down the street and he too wonders how long this is going to go on for.

When Brittany and Santana get home, the comfortably ease themselves into the way the evening has been going thus far. Santana bounces to the kitchen, something she hasn't done in a while, and returns to the living room with a bottle of wine and two glasses. They sit on the couch, drink and make small talk about nothing in particular. At one point, Santana reaches out to grab Brittany's hand. She lets her, but only for a moment before she slowly tugs it from her grasp and awkwardly leaves Santana's hand by itself in the space between them.

Once they finish the bottle of wine, they wind up standing behind the couch, as though unsure of what comes next. Brittany turns to face the television and Santana steps behind her, wraps her arms around her waist and rests her cheek to the spot between her shoulder blades.

"Brittany." She breathes out and she makes the blonde's name sound so sad off of her tongue. "I need you." She adds in an even quieter voice.

With liquid courage in both of their systems, it's easier for them to forget it all, even if only for a few minutes. Their lips meet with unsure kisses and tentative hands. It's only been a few days since they've kissed or touched, but everything just feels different. Not bad different, just different. It even feels like they have been breathing completely different air. Brittany's hand rests on Santana's cheek, her thumb presses to the corner of her mouth as she kisses back. Santana's hands find Brittany's hips and the middle of her back.

They are slow and soft kisses with a hint of need and sadness. Their tongues hesitantly poke out, not wanting to push so hard that they burst this momentary bubble of ignorant bliss. Hands pull and tug on clothing and flesh alike. They moan and sigh into one another's mouths as they taste one another after what feels like an eternity.

But, then reality crashes in like a wave.

"Wait." Brittany whispers onto Santana's lips, even though she protests, her own lips keep moving. Her hand moves from her cheek to her shoulder and she pushes her away. "Wait, stop." She says a little bit louder, trying to dart away from Santana's lips. "I… we can't." She sucks in her lips and shakes her head as she hangs it, finally getting Santana to pull her lips away.

"What?" Santana finally asks when she steps away from Brittany.

"Nothing is resolved here and if we…" Brittany motions between them. "It'll only complicate things more." She explains and settles her hands on her hips in an uncomfortable fashion. "Plus, we've been drinking… a lot."

"Britt, we had such a great night." Santana reminds her. "We laughed and enjoyed each other's company." Sure, she understands that these are not the ingredients for an instant fix in their otherwise sort of cracked relationship. But, she figured, it was at least a step in the right direction so why shouldn't they celebrate it with kisses?

"We were being civil Santana." Brittany offers a reason for the good behavior.

Santana looks at her in a bit of shock. She scoffs at the statement and shakes her head as she takes a seat on the couch. Her eyes close and she clenches her jaw. It would figure that when she thinks it's safe to let that wall of uncertainty tumble down, Brittany only builds it right back up for her.

"I wasn't informed that being civil led to kissing." As soon as she says this she cringes. She pretty much walked right into this one.

"_You_ would know all about that." Brittany spits out under her breath, but it's heard by Santana, and her shoes click clack all the way to the kitchen. From the rustling going on in the freezer, Santana knows Brittany is grabbing the vodka.

"That's not fair." She defends after she hears the clinking of ice cubes hit the glass, but Brittany just lets out an irritated chuckle. "Do you want to talk about this _now_? Or do you want to go on for another week pretending I don't exist?" Santana challenges, watching as Brittany comes back towards her, two glasses filled with ice and vodka.

"I wish it were that easy." Brittany mumbles, but she says it purposefully loud so Santana hears her.

"Let's make it easy then Brittany." Santana says nastily as she watches Brittany set the glass for her on the table. "What do I have to do?" She asks in defeat, but Brittany looks at the blank television and sips her drink. "What the fuck do I have to do to fix this?"

She leans forward to grab the vodka rocks that Brittany made for her and takes a big gulp once it hits her lips. Santana tries not to let it show, but the liquor burns her throat. Then again, Brittany isn't even looking at her so she can wince and grimace all she wants.

"So, you want to talk about it," Santana continues in an obnoxious tone when Brittany fails to respond. "But, you don't want to participate." She shakes her head and takes another sip. "Fucking typical." She says through another vodka throat burn.

"Don't talk to me like that." Brittany hisses, staring at Santana which catches her a little off guard. "Don't you dare." Santana shrugs and shakes her head, tearing her eyes from Brittany's.

"Well," She glances down into her glass. "I got you to talk to me." She tries not to look as Brittany sits down on the coffee table.

"I don't know what to say." Brittany yells in frustration, getting Santana to look at her, even though her eyes are focused on the spot beside her girlfriend. "What do you expect me to say?" She challenges. "That I forgive you?" Brittany asks hypothetically, her gaze shifting to meet Santana's. "I can't do that." She shakes her head and Santana can feel her chest tighten and her shoulders shrug.

"So, you're never going to forgive me?" Santana asks, sounding broken and surprised at the same time.

"That's not what I said." Brittany defends.

"You're not really saying much of anything." Santana points out.

"Santana," Brittany breathes and pinches the bridge of her nose between her index finger and thumb. "All you keep saying is that you want to fix this but you can't even admit that you were wrong."

"I want to fix this because I was wrong. Isn't that me admitting?" Santana counters. "Do you need, like, a play by play of all the things I was wrong about?" She wonders how deep into this mess Brittany wants to dive in.

"I asked you not to see her anymore." Brittany reminds her and she looks away. "I shouldn't have to ask you to distance yourself from someone who pushes the boundaries of your relationship. You should know better."

"Sorry." Santana says and leans her head in her hand.

"'Sorry' doesn't erase you going behind my back." Brittany tells her.

"Britt, it's not like I was seeing her with the intent of hurting you." She bites back, her frustration getting the best of her. And she's tired, so tired.

"What about that night at the bar? Hmm?" Brittany reminds her of the night she had gone and met up with Trish without telling her. "Took you a few days to finally feel guilty about it." She counters with a bit of snark.

"That's not true." Santana shakes her head; apparently she will be doing a lot of that tonight. "I just… I wasn't sure how to tell you without hurting you." She instantly places her glass down on the coffee table in front of her and jams the heels of her palms in her eyes.

"I can't do this." Brittany finally sighs. "It's like we're not here anymore." She shrugs her shoulders and stares down at her lap where her hands rest. "We're not _us_. We're just… going through the motions of this relationship. It's not fair." She announces as though there were other people in the room that should hear her. "To either of us. I feel like… I'm holding you back and…"

"You're not." Santana immediately blurts out.

"Well, maybe we are holding _each other_ back." Brittany carefully words, her tone uncertain and scared. Santana's head jerks back and her mouth hangs open a bit.

"Why would you say something like that?" She asks in disbelief. Brittany closes her eyes and turns her head towards the other direction, anywhere but at Santana and she drops her chin to her chest. "I mean," Santana clears her throat and shifts in her seat uncomfortably. "If you feel that way, then…" Her eyes squint at Brittany, trying to find the girl she fell in love with beneath all of the rubble she herself has buried her under. She's still there of course, physically. But, the bright and bubbly, happy go lucky Brittany would never say something like this. She wouldn't even think it.

Instead of responding, Brittany shakes her head some more. Santana isn't sure if she is freeing her brain from overload, taking back what she just said, or that maybe she is trying to erase all of this even if for just a second. Instead of verbally responding, Brittany tosses back the rest of her drink and pushes herself up to a standing position. Santana watches her walk into the kitchen, only to return a few moments later with the bottle of vodka.

"More?" Brittany asks as she raises up the bottle, motioning to her own refilled glass. Santana looks down at her glass that only has a few sips left and figures that she might as well. They're finally diving in to this shit and it hurts and it sucks, so she decides that numbing the pain for a little while might not be a bad idea.


	30. Chapter 30

Santana wakes up thanks to the sun blinding her from the kitchen window and she reaches her hand beside her but it comes up empty. Brittany had been there at one point, she remembers. After their talk, which turned into whispered shouts and brushed off explanations, she had come to the couch from the coffee table to comfort a sobbing Santana. As much as she had tried to put everything into perspective for Brittany, nothing seemed to work. No matter what she said, no matter how many sorry's came out, Brittany appeared to be unmoved. She even said to Santana at one point, 'you're the one who taught me that two excuses equals a lie'.

It's not a huge shock to her that she wakes up on the couch. Considering how heated things had gotten the night before. But, she'd hoped that clearing the air, even the slightest bit, would lead them in the direction of a reconciliation of sorts. She tries to stretch but finds it hard seeing as her feet and arms won't reach out very far. She grunts remembering that she had slept on the couch last night, again. Then she remembers the conversation the night prior and she sighs out wishing that she could just erase everything that had happened.

Her eyes bounce around the room thinking about how different it looks. It isn't different at all, in fact, it is exactly the same and has been since the they had moved in. But the air is different, the smell is different, the lighting is different and the sounds are different. The place is actually rather quiet, a little too quiet and that makes her shudder.

Hesitantly she places her bare foot onto the hard wood floor, shivering at the cool wood under her. She sits up for a moment, rubbing at her eyes and resting her head in her hands, shaking it at herself. Her eyes wander around the room and her ears perk up trying to hear any kind of noise, but there is nothing. She pushes herself up and heads to the bathroom.

After flushing the toilet she moves herself to the sink to wash her hands and throw some water on her face. Looking at her reflection is like looking at a stranger. The person looking back at her looks exhausted, scared and guilty. Her hand reaches to the side and she grabs a face towel to dry up. But, as she is about to toss the towel to the side of the sink and walk out, her eyes catch a glimpse of something. Something that stood beside this sink ever since she and Brittany had stopped sleeping in the same bedroom is now missing. She brings her finger to the red toothbrush sitting in the glass next to the sink and she lifts it slowly. This red toothbrush had a friend once upon a time but now it is all alone. Her eyes dart to the door and she all but sprints out heading to the bedroom.

Pushing the door open she immediately notices the bags neatly placed beside the bed. Her eyes make their way to the closet which is half empty. Her side, just like her toothbrush in the bathroom, is now all alone. Finally her eyes land on Brittany who is sitting on a chair facing the neatly made bed, just staring at it. Santana goes to speak but her mouth is so dry nothing comes out.

"You fell asleep and then I watched you for a little while." Brittany breaks the unbearable silence, not once looking to the brunette. "I couldn't sleep next to you." She admits without any emotion, it's a simple fact. "I came in here, I don't really know why. I guess I was just so tired and… I couldn't even get into bed. So, I sat here wondering why my body couldn't just pull the covers down." She shrugs. "It's _our _bed." She announces finally looking to Santana.

"Britt…" She forces out but realizes she has nothing else really planned to follow that so, she shuts her mouth and looks to the ground.

"I don't want to do this anymore." Brittany tells her as she gets up from the chair and Santana's eyes dart back up to her.

"What?" She had an idea of 'what' is, but she doesn't want to believe it. Brittany locks eyes with Santana.

"I think… I… I'm breaking up with you." She reveals with forced strength, but her voice is so shaky. Santana is sure that her face has gone white and with the feeling in her stomach it is quite possible she is going to throw up. Brittany moves to grab her bags but Santana tries to stop her, pulling them away. Brittany lets her take it and moves for another bag, she is not about to fight with Santana.

"No." Santana pleads her voice is broken and she is not trying to hide her feelings. "Brittany, please I told you I'm sorry." She sobs through her words, pulling at every bag that Brittany tries to pick up. "Please don't leave me baby, I'm _so_ sorry. I love you." She begins to back up to the door hoping to block her girlfriend from exiting. Brittany just shakes her head.

"I can't do this with you." Brittany tells her softly, making sure that her eyes show Santana that she is serious. "I can't pretend like everything is perfect anymore, because it's not."

"Please, _let me_ _fix this_." Santana begs holding her ground at the door.

"Santana." She shakes her head and looks down for a moment. "There shouldn't be anything _to_ fix." Her words are simple and soft, but it still hurts just as much. "I don't want this fixed, I… I just want it to be over." Her blue eyes pierce browns that are glazed over with heavy tears.

"_Please_!" Santana falls to her knees, her palms slam on to the ground and Brittany brushes past her crouching body. "_I_ love _you_!" She declares, though her crying is making her scream. "You are the only one I want to be with and love." Brittany stops before she gets to the end of the hallway and places her bags quietly on the ground. She takes a deep breath and turns around to face Santana who is crying into her hands.

"_My heart_ has been _breaking_ Santana." Brittany explains, causing Santana to muffle her sobs and look up. "I've _tried_ and _tried_ but I just can't, I'm so tired." She feels a lump in her throat but swallows it before she continues. "Everything has been so screwed up between us and then I see you out with, her, and all I can think about is the thought of you with her like the way you're supposed to only be with me." She pauses because her voice is rising and she isn't about to yell and scream like her counterpart. She doesn't _want_ to care. "We were happy, but that feels so long ago. I thought we were different, I thought I was different because out of everyone, you wanted me. You picked me, you chose me." She wipes some stray tears that have poured over, sniffles and looks at her phone for the time. "I'm leaving New York for a little while. I'm heading back home because I can't stand the sight of you, or the smell of you, or the way you breathe when you sleep." Santana's heart breaks. "Just talking to you makes me want to throw up." Brittany is even shocked by how she was speaking, but she tries to not let it show. "I do…" She looks away for a moment and Santana climbs up the wall to stand up straight. "I love you, I probably always will." Brittany shrugs and looks back to Santana. "Even right now, I don't hate you. But to be honest, I don't love you either." She admits and steps forward to Santana taking her hand for a brief moment and when she takes it away Santana looks into her hand. "I'm not sure I'm coming back here." Santana sees the key to their apartment in her hand and glances back to Brittany. "I talked to the studio and they gave the okay for a short leave for me. I don't have classes anymore and graduations are long and boring. I already told my parents a while ago I wasn't gonna go to it anyway. So…" She shrugs. "I think this is the right thing to do."

"Wait!" Santana shouts as Brittany picks up her bags and heads to the front door. Brittany turns to face her. "Is that it then?" She shrugs her shoulders and glares at her. "So, we go through a rough patch and you just _bail_?" She asks, sadness overcoming her so much so that she is now being harsh. "This goes on the both of us, it's not just me, Brittany! I've been trying too. And because of _one_ stupid lapse in judgment and some dumb meaningless girl, years of being together flies out the window. Well, then obviously this never meant anything to you to begin with." Brittany shakes her head. She knew Santana was going to get low, she expected it.

"Santana, a _mistake_ is forgetting to get my laundry done when I asked you to. A _mistake_ is that time I forgot you were allergic to the cherry flavored oils. _Those_ are mistakes." Brittany is getting annoyed now and she can't hold her tongue anymore, but she is sure to keep her temper in check and not raise her voice. "_You went out with another girl_!" She shouts and Santana stumbles back slightly at the power of her voice.

"I went to a bar, to tell a girl to _leave me alone_. It's _not_ like we were out on a fucking date." She yells back in just the same tone.

"I've told you constantly that I didn't feel comfortable with you and her being alone because she totally hits on you and you totally let her." Brittany calms down a little but she is still very upset.

"I _didn't _flirt back Britt." She assures her but Brittany shakes her head. "Not on purpose." She mumbles.

"You obviously knew it would upset me if I knew you were planning to go meet up with her. How am I supposed to believe you when you've lied to me before about having drinks with her by telling me you are going to a study group?" She counters.

"I _was_ at a study group all those times!" Santana yells in frustration bringing her hands to her head and gripping her hair. "And that _one _time _was_ for school shit."

"I didn't know that people study at bars while getting wasted, but then again I'm _stupid_ what do I know?" Brittany sighs and looks to the ground.

"Brittany, you're not stupid. We would be at a study group and then to wind down we went for drinks, it was no big deal." She tries to explain but Brittany isn't having any of it. "We'd done it so many times before, it used to never bother you."

"Only _now_, you conveniently leave out the part about _her_ being there, how nice for you." Brittany spits out. "For all I know you've been hanging out with her behind my back and having sex with her."

"Oh my _god_ Brittany, _do you hear yourself_?" Santana takes a step towards her. "You're seriously going to accuse me of _cheating_ on you?" She has tears falling down her face at this point.

"You used to cheat on Puck all the time." Brittany points out and Santana grunts and stomps her foot.

"That was in _high school_ and I cheated on him with _you_." Santana challenges.

"It's still cheating."

"I did _not_ cheat on you!" Santana rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over chest and leans against the wall.

"I can't stand you and your rules that you make up as you go along. You push me and push me. Do you want to see how far you can go? Is that it?" She starts crying now, not even realizing she's walking towards Santana. "You lied to me Santana. About something very serious to me and that was _your '_mistake'." She gains control of her voice again. "_My_ 'mistake' would be staying with you in spite of that."

"I didn't do anything, I swear! Nothing ever went any further than that fucking ambush kiss, you know that. I don't want to be with anyone else, Brittany." All of this circling around the same things is exhausting and Santana isn't sure she's helping any or making it worse. She figures worse.

"Yeah, maybe you didn't cheat on me physically. But, knowing how I felt, you still went behind my back and did it anyway, how am I supposed to trust you?" Brittany challenges and Santana pushes herself off the wall.

"You just are." It's a simple and soft response. "And maybe things haven't been perfect between us lately, but, at least give me a chance to get them back to how they were. Let us both give it a shot because this is too important, what we have, for me to just let you walk out the door and not even try." Brittany shakes her head.

"We _have_ been trying, but, with school and everything, you're preoccupied and I guess I'm in my own world too." Santana looks away wiping tears away from her face. "I just, I need some time. Some time to think about everything."

"So, what does this mean for us?" Santana's voice is shaky and she has to force herself to look up to meet those blue eyes.

"It means that for now, I'm 'me' and you're 'you'. I'm going back to Lima to figure out stuff." Brittany says and picks her bags back up and takes small steps to the door again.

"I need you." Santana breathes out and Brittany turns around one last time.

"I know." She musters up through the lump in her throat and shifts the bags in her hands. "I need you too." Tears stream down her cheeks. "But, sometimes it's not enough to _just know_ someone needs you, sometimes they have to show it."

"Stay and let me_ show_ you." Santana almost begs on her hands and knees but she refrains from letting her body fall to the ground. Brittany shakes her head 'no'.

"I can't, I have to go and then maybe you can show yourself you need me and then you'll be ready to show me." If ever there were a Brittany riddle that Santana got right away it would be this one. It pained her heart to know that Brittany did not feel needed. Santana whispers out just loud enough for Brittany to hear her as she opens the door.

"I just want _you_."

Santana walks to the opening of the door and at the end of the hallway she sees Kurt and Quinn waiting by the elevator taking Brittany's bags from her hand. Neither one of them chance a look in her direction, they keep their focus on Brittany. Santana watches as the three of them get on the elevator and the doors close behind them. She rolls her eyes and sighs as she steps back into her apartment and slams the door shut, resting her back against it. Her eyes wander around the room, taking it all in.

Her gaze goes to the hooks on the wall by the door and she sees a yellow scarf. It's Brittany's favorite scarf. She pulls on it till it is free from the hook bringing it to her nose and smelling it. It smells like her. Bringing it away from her face she looks at it thinking that she will never see her wear this again. Ever. Brittany has just left her. Like left her, left her. She broke up with Santana, or taking time. Her girlfriend of four and a half years officially and more than a decade unofficially just broke up with her and it is all her fault. Her back slides down the door and she brings her knees to her chest and breaks down in tears.

* * *

><p>Santana wakes up thanks to the banging on the door behind her. Her eyes open to see that she was still in the living room, but she was on the floor. She looks behind her and notices that she was still slumped in front of the door. Luckily in her state she had managed to grab a pillow and a blanket though it must have been during a rage black out because she remembers nothing. She jumps again at the sound of banging.<p>

"Santana." A voice from the other side calls her. "I know you're in there." Santana tenses up as the familiar voice speaks again. It was Quinn. Why would she be here? Shouldn't she be in Lima with Brittany? "Get off of the floor and let me in." How did she know she was on the floor? Out of curiosity Santana slides herself away from blocking the door and unlocks it.

"There." She yells irritated. The door opens and Quinn steps in glancing at the disheveled girl on the floor.

"Jesus, you look worse than you did the yesterday." Quinn tells her closing the door behind her and putting her jacket on the hook. "Are you going to wear that forever now?" She asks pointing to the yellow scarf that Santana had wrapped around herself. She looks down at it to but makes no attempt at removing it.

"Shouldn't you be wearing a 'Team Brittany' shirt and plotting my death somewhere in Lima right now?" Santana asks sullenly. Quinn sticks her head in the fridge and starts stacking things on the counter pulling a garbage bag from under the sink.

"My shirts at the dry cleaners and I'm not much for mercy killings." Quinn smirks at her before she continues to toss out the gross mold growing contents of Santana's refrigerator.

"Whatever." Santana rolls her eyes and moves her body to the couch still watching Quinn. Quinn snaps her head in the Latina's direction shooting her a dirty look.

"Seriously Santana?" She growls.

"Q I really don't want to hear it." Santana sighs.

"You're an idiot you know that?" Quinn leans her arm on the door of the refrigerator. "You had it made and you blew it." Santana looks to the couch breaking eye contact from the blonde. "What you two had was amazing, I've never seen that before. I don't even think Rachel and I have that." Quinn muses softly. "It's like fate had laid a hand down and made you two for each other." She closes the door and walks over to the couch falling next to the brunette who looks up at her finally. "I don't know what you were thinking and I don't want to know." Quinn tells her. "If Rachel did to me what you did to Brittany I really don't know what I would do." She shrugs thinking about being in the other blonde's shoes. "But I do know one thing I would try my hardest to forgive her because I love her." She nods at her friend hoping she understands. "I'm not about to speak for her but I'm sure deep down Brittany wants to forgive you, because let's face it she is completely in love with you and her world revolves around you. But obviously that's the problem, both of your worlds revolve around you. Yeah you clearly adore her and love her, absolutely, but she idolizes you and loves you." Santana weakly smiles at the thought of her blonde's love for her. "And if I were you in the situation…" She pauses to get the Latina to look back up at her again. "I'd fight for her until I got her back or my life was over." She quirks and eyebrow but maintains a firm still face.

Quinn sighs and pushes herself off of the couch and heads back to the rank refrigerator to rid it of the gross science projects beginning to grow in there. Santana sits back playing with the fringe on the blanket around her and thinks. She wants to fight for Brittany, she really does, but the thought of getting up and leaving the apartment scares her and make her feel sick. Brittany's words ring through her head and all she wants to do was cry.

"Why are you being nice to me?" Santana interrupts the clanging noises of jars and bottles being tossed into the garbage bag.

"I'm not." Quinn states flatly. "I'm doing this for B." Santana is not all that surprised by this and barely flinches at the harshness of her words. "And… because, no matter how much you fuck up, and piss me off, I am always your best friend." Quinn assures her even though her tone doesn't match the kindness of her words. Santana can't help but smirk a little at the blonde even though she can't see her.

"Hey, Q?" Quinn looks up from the fridge again. "How did you know I have been wearing this?" She asks lifting the scarf up pointing at it.

"Because you've been in it for the last three days." Quinn explains.

"Three days?" Santana is shocked. "Wait, but I was like barricading the door." She muses aloud.

"The first day I managed to push it open with you in front of it and then got you into the shower. But, as soon as I got you dressed you grabbed your pillow and blanket and camped out in front of the door." Quinn furthers her explanation and Santana's eyebrows furrow.

"Thanks." She meekly manages to get out and Quinn nods once again rummaging through the grossness that is the fridge.

* * *

><p>Brittany is sitting on a bench at the playground by her house. She watches as the kids run around smiling and laughing, playing tag with one another. She wants to smile at them but, her muscles seem to be off today. Her thumbs play with the tab on the lid of her coffee which is still filled to the top. There is this little girl by the bottom of the slide playing by herself, having the time of her life. Behind her are her parents just watching her with bright smiles and giggling to themselves as their daughter entertains herself.<p>

She used to come here a lot when she lived here in Lima and she even found herself going to parks in New York doing the same thing. Brittany would imagine that one of the children at the park was hers and Santana's. She would think of how she would interact with them and what she would say to them if they fell off of the swing and got a booboo. Then she would think about how great Santana would be with their child and probably play tag with the rest of the kids and chase them and tickle them just to make their child smile.

It used to make Brittany laugh to herself when she thought about Santana and children. Because, for someone who claims to hate children with a fiery passion Brittany could not imagine them not having kids and could not imagine Santana being incapable of being a mother. Santana would be the best mother ever.

But, now as she sits here watching this little girl and her parents, she feels nothing. She really wants to be able to imagine she and Santana were the mothers to this little girl, but her mind will not take her there. It is as if that part of her brain is locked behind a steel door and the key has been thrown away. They don't have that anymore. She didn't have that anymore. Brittany did not have the ability to imagine things like that anymore. Not right now anyway and Santana has taken that away from her.

Things have been very different since returning home from New York. She hasn't told her parents the reasons behind the sudden visit and especially left out the absence of her other half. If it comes up she will quickly make up a lie about how Santana wasn't able to get off of work and then change the subject or say something strange like she normally would do.

She hates lying. It has been the reason for her state right now. But, it is better than telling the truth because that hurt too much. Now she fully understands the meaning behind the saying 'the truth hurts'. But, she's sure she will eventually have to explain things to her parents considering she keeps dodging Santana's phone calls.

"Hey there." A voice comes from behind her, stealing away from her thoughts and she looks over to find Kurt standing beside the bench she is on. She forces out a smile but she isn't even sure if her face moves like she tells it too. "Thought I'd find you here." He lets out and takes a seat next to her as well as her cup of coffee. She watches him take a sip of the coffee she had forgotten was even in her hands. "How are you?" He asks, resting the cup in his hand on his leg. She shrugs because she can't think of words to describe how she feels at this moment. "I figured." He sighs and looks over to the playground. "You sleeping over tonight?" He asks, eyes still focused on the children playing but he can see from his peripheral vision his gal pal is nodding. Kurt places his arm around his friend and pulls her in closer to him rubbing her arm softly through her jacket.

"I'm so sad." Brittany sighs out, sounding utterly exhausted and broken. He looks to her as she places her head on his shoulder and his heart breaks at this sight.

"I know Britt." He tries to soothe her and kisses the top of her head. "I know."

* * *

><p>Santana wakes up thanks to the really loud singing coming from her kitchen. Startled, she jumps up from the couch, instantly recognizing a voice that is not Quinn's. Rachel walks over and places a tray of food on the coffee table in front of Santana and grins through her singing. Santana rolls her eyes and sits up staring at the food and then at the diva.<p>

"Really Berry?" She mumbles and Rachel stops singing when she plops herself next to the cranky Latina. "Must you sing all the time?"

"Practice makes perfect." Rachel beams and grabs the remote.

"What are you doing here anyway?" She spits out as she inspects the sandwich in front of her.

"Quinn had to go to work so I came to relieve her of Santana duties." The starlet informs her not even looking at her as she spoke. "I don't agree with her that we need to make you feel better, but that was a battle I did not win." She explains sighing at losing with Quinn about the Brittany-Santana situation. Santana doesn't say anything, but takes in the girl's words. Quinn wants to make her feel better after all. "Stop playing with that and eat it." She demands pointing at the sandwich. "If you are going to fight to win Brittany back you are going to gain your strength back." She tells her but her voice gives away to the fact that she really does not care.

"If Quinn did what I did, would you forgive her?" Santana asks shyly not making eye contact with the other brunette.

"She wouldn't do that to me." Rachel states factually and Santana sighs.

"Humor me."

"Ugh fine, ummm, I don't know. I can't imagine my life without her, but if she cheated on me I think I would be broken. So broken that I wouldn't know how to function." Rachel admits nervously at just the thought of this happening to her and Quinn.

"I didn't cheat on her!" Santana huffs rolling her eyes.

"Maybe not physically Santana, but you lied to her and in a time in your relationship when things were kind of on the fritz." Rachel points out and Santana is quick to shut her mouth. "It would be hard, but if I did, it would be a long road. It wouldn't just go back to the way it was." She continues and Santana nods. "And if I were in your shoes, I would fight like there was no tomorrow to get her back."

"Brittany is the love of my life." Santana sobs a little but sniffles back the tears. "I can't imagine myself with anyone else."

"Then why?" Rachel asks and Santana snaps her head up to the diva. "Why did you do what you did? Listen, I'm not going to sugar coat my questions or statements because I don't think you deserve compassion."

"I don't know, I was just doing what I wanted to do and I kept it from her because I knew she would get mad. And I was sure if I told her that something like this would happen. I was scared." She answers but even she rolls her eyes at her answer, it's so weak.

"That is a stupid reason Santana and you know that too. Being scared is no reason to go sleep with someone else."

"I didn't sleep with her." Santana blurts out.

"Whatever, you lied and to some people that's worse than cheating." Rachel corrects herself. "Which really confuses me to no end too because you even told me that things between you and Brittany were weird, before any of this and you didn't know why."

"Everything between me and Brittany has always been fun and exciting, and honestly it still is, or was. And then this past year it got all serious and I'm totally down for all that serious mushy crap. I even thought about asking her to marry me." Santana admits quietly but loud enough for the girl next to her to hear her.

Rachel turns to her and analyzes Santana's current state. Her hair is a right mess wanting to be controlled in a bun but her hair is not complying and going wherever it wants to. She has been in the same clothes since Quinn had changed her three days ago and she is most definitely certain that Santana is in need of a good shower.

"Then what was the point?" Rachel inquires. "You put your relationship at risk for what? Attention? I was right, I guess you can take the girl out of McKinley but you can't take McKinley out of the girl." She muses to herself looking back to the television. "Still a Cheerio deep down huh?" She asks but more to herself than to Santana who winces at the harshness and truth at the words.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asks, feeling suddenly offended.

"It means that you are still the same person who wants to be wanted by everybody and needs to have the next big thing or, I don't know, your life's fulfillment is not met. I think that you liked the fact that this girl from your class hit on you and also love that Brittany was jealous." Rachel vaguely explains. How do you explain to someone that they are a vapid narcissist?

They sit in silence for a while, Rachel's words on repeat in Santana's head. Man-hands is right. Santana was a horrible person in high school and it seems as though she is exactly the same now as she was then. She cringes at the thought that she was still the nasty mean girl from her high school years and worse, had been treating Brittany of all people the way she treated lower life at McKinley. But she knows she didn't. She treated Brittany like a found treasure. Brittany is her inspiration for living and she would not taint that. Well, not intentionally.

She had _zero_ intentions of _ever_ cheating on Brittany. That was definitely not on her list of things to do. A girl from her criminal justice class had asked her to study a few times and like a good student she would never pass an opportunity to study with one of the best students in class. Deep down Santana is pretty certain she could read that this girl was sending her signals. The way she laughed at Santana when she made witty remarks about their professor or the way she touched her arm to get her attention in class. Maybe Rachel is right, it's nice to be wanted. But Brittany wanted her, wasn't that enough? It was. It is. Then why?

No, that isn't the reason at all. Trish had nothing to do with anything. Yeah, okay, so it has to do a little bit with why Brittany is pissed, but there is more going on. For the past few months their relationship consisted of them sleeping together. Literally sleeping. They had complete opposite schedules and by the time they'd meet up they would be so exhausted from school work and their jobs that they would just pass out.

Santana did feel a pang of guilt because in the past she would just push through the sleepiness to make sure Brittany was in her arms. To just be awake enough to have a conversation with her about something, anything and she would even go a night without sleeping because when Brittany is lying on top of her time does not exist and sleep has no hold over her.

But, they had gotten into a routine with the new semester and it just stuck. Brittany was always trying to make plans for them to spend quality time alone together but either Santana's study sessions ran late or afterwards she would go out with her group, or Brittany would have late practices or they would spend time together and within five minutes Santana would be passed out.

Brittany would stay awake and watch her sleep wondering if Santana still watched her sleep like she used to do back in their freshman year. She had told her that when she watched her sleep it was like she fell in love with her all over again. With that thought Brittany could only assume that Santana was no longer in love with her.

But then Brittany would roll her eyes at herself for thinking such things because, Santana Lopez is someone who would tell you if she didn't like you so she figured she would tell someone if she didn't love them too. But, just when things started to go downhill is when Santana started going to the study groups more and more and with that girl from her class. Now, all she can keep doing is replay everything over and over in her mind.

That night when everyone had met up at the bar and the girl was completely flirting with Santana, the worst part was that Santana let her. When they got home and Brittany let in on the fact that she saw how the girl was inappropriate and that she didn't feel comfortable with Santana being alone with her. _Of course_, Santana had brushed it off and made her feel like she had been seeing things but said she would tell her if she were going to a study group and the girl was there. So when she saw them at the bar together that night her heart dropped and she saw red.

One night, back in early October, Santana had planned a romantic night for the two of them. She had made reservations at a nice restaurant that was a little pricey, but she had some secretly saved money to pay for it. She had planned for dinner and a nice time at home alone with wine, maybe a shower or bath together to follow said dinner.

It had been a while since the two of them were going to be able to spend some good quality time together. Brittany would always leave her little love notes where she knew Santana would find them and Santana always made sure to tell her she loved her whenever she could. But, Santana knew this wasn't enough and so she figured if she went all out to plan a night then Brittany would know that she acknowledged the distance that had been slowly growing and that she was doing something to fix it.

Unfortunately, the night that Santana planned had not happened. While she sat on the couch waiting for Brittany, she fiddled with a box in her hand. She was nervous as anything, it almost felt like it was their first date or something. But, her nervousness faded when she got a text from Brittany saying that she wasn't going to be home till late because after practice she and the group were going for dinner to celebrate. Santana's heart dropped to her stomach and she sat on the couch a little while longer staring at the box in her hands.

This box had been hidden away in her sock drawer for almost over four years now and she thought that tonight would be the perfect night. Santana wasn't using this as a quick fix. This was something so much more meaningful than an 'oh my girlfriend and I are going through hard times, let me do something over the top' kind of thing. This was to prove to Brittany that she was Santana's always and only and that after this year they would only be looking to the future, their future.

It wasn't that she forgot about the ring or the question that usually goes along with it that she's also been keeping in a safe place, life kind of just got in the way. That night, Santana took it as a sign that perhaps the timing wasn't right. That is was the hands of fate telling her 'not just yet'. So, instead of planning her romantic dinner and question popping plans for the next night or week, she hid the box where she'd been keeping it all these years and figured she'll know when it's time.

When she comes back from her memory haze, she realizes that Rachel hasn't even noticed she'd gone. Not anywhere physically of course, but she's sure that for the past half an hour or so she's been traveling down memory and what if lane. She actually can't remember the last time she looked at the box. More importantly, she can't remember when she'd looked inside of it.

Of course she knows what's inside and what it looks like. She picked it out specifically for her lady and she was certain it would accentuate every single thing about her. Or that even Brittany would accentuate _it_. It's probably unbelievable that a college student working at an upscale diner could afford something at Tiffany's. Everyone she knows would probably slap her upside the head if she told them how she bought it.

But, no one needs to know that when she graduated high school, her mother handed her over a check that had a lot of zeros on it. According to Mama Lopez, she'd been saving money here and there for Santana since she was born, as if she were preparing for the day for her first born to leave the nest. Santana's certain that Quinn would say her mom gave her the money so she'd never come back. That thought always makes her chuckle.

Sure, she could have easily used the money to pay rent for a few years. Probably would have had to work at Nelson's for as long as she has. But, when her mother told her to do something great with her life as she handed her the check, she knew what that something great was. It was Brittany. It still is Brittany.

So, when Santana is positive Rachel is sucked into the show that is on, she slips off to her room slowly shutting the door. She turns to her bureau and wraps the blanket around her arms so that her hands are free. With the top drawer open she gets onto her tippy toes and reaches her hand into the back moving it around until her fingers cross over a hard square object. She pulls out a sock in a sock in a sock, sticking her hand inside and undoing them until she is left with three pairs of socks in one hand and a little, wooden box in the other.

It's a small box. Nothing too fancy or out of control; simple yet elegant. Her eyes dart to the door when she thinks she hears movement, but, after a few seconds of standing completely still she realizes it is Rachel talking to the television.

Santana walks over to the bed, planning on sitting down at the edge of it but can't find the energy to. It is still made from the day Brittany left. Instead, she goes towards their vanity, places the box onto the table and leans with her hands on either side of it.

She stares at it for a while and thinks about what is in there, why she has it and who it's for. Her eyes climb up the mirror in front of her and she looks herself in the eye shaking her head. Standing up straight, she holds the bottom of the box firmly and flips the little clasp open, pulls the top up and back to expose its contents.

* * *

><p>"Here have some." Kurt pulls her out of her own mind and she notices a bowl of soup being placed in front of her on the table. She glances up at him and forces out a smile that doesn't last long. "You need to eat."<p>

"I'm not hungry." Brittany answers, making a face at the soup pushing the bowl away. Kurt sighs and rolls his eyes.

"You need to eat something Britt." He tells her pushing it to her once more. She scrunches her nose and shakes her head pushing it away again. "Fine." He huffs and takes it away. "Quinn said she and Rachel are going to come here next weekend." Kurt informs her while walking back to the couch. Brittany only nods, not wanting him to notice her tense up. "Quinn asked for you but you were in the shower. I told her I'd let you know she called." Brittany tries to smile again but just like the times before she fails miserably and chooses to bring the covers up to her chin and lean further into the couch. "She said she tried calling your cell phone, but all she got was your voicemail."

"Yeah I shut my phone off." Brittany tells him flatly staring at the television, but it isn't even on. He mouths 'oh' and nods. "I don't want to sit around and have to ignore her phone calls, or sit around and get more upset because she hasn't called. So I turned it off and threw it in the back of her truck when we were leaving." She explains picking some lint out of her mouth from the blanket.

"Your phone is in the back of Santana's truck?" Kurt asks raising an eyebrow and she turns to him and nods like it is the most reasonable place to toss unwanted things. "Okay, but, I mean you _are_ going to talk to her eventually, right?" He ponders softly. It's the question on everyone's tongue. The whole will they won't they? Brittany slowly but firmly shakes her head from side to side twice. "So you are never going to speak to Santana again?" She glances over at him staring at him for a few moments before she readjusts herself to face him a little pulling the blankets down to her lap.

"I don't owe her anything Kurt. She messed up not me. If she wants to talk to me then she has to make it happen and calling me on my cell phone isn't going to cut it." Brittany explains to him and he nods to show he is listening. "She really messed up, not like telling me I look fat messed up."

"But then how is she supposed to get in touch with you?" He almost gasps. "I mean she's been calling your house, but we all just tell her to stop calling. So…"

"Like the people in those romantic movies do." Brittany tells him matter of factly. "She'll find a way."

At first Kurt seems confused by her logic, but letting it marinate made him admire the sad blonde girl. Even after being scorned by her love she still saw some optimism from it all. She still had hopes and dreams of some romantic happy ending regardless if it was plausible because let's be honest, this _is_ Santana Lopez after all.


	31. Chapter 31

Quinn comes storming through the door and slings her bag to the floor. Rachel jumps and turns to stare at her current state, uncertain if their regular greeting is going to be of any use. With a huff, Quinn stomps her way towards the kitchen where her girlfriend is preparing dinner. With a quick glance down the hall to make sure Kurt isn't home, only to remember he's back in Lima, and she stops in the doorway of the kitchen.

"What the hell did you say to Santana?" Quinn asks in irritation.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Rachel sighs with a tilt of her head and turns back to her previous task of making dinner for them.

"Don't play _stupid _Rach, it's a bad color on you." Quinn snaps, taking one final step into the kitchen and leans her hands on the back of the chair. Rachel's brow furrows as she dumps vegetables into a simmering pot of sauce.

"If you're referring to the conversation I had with Santana, then that's a different story." She assumes that whatever this outburst has to do with, it's most likely Santana. Everything has been about Santana the past two weeks.

"You have no right to say things like that to her." Quinn tells her authoritatively. Rachel scoffs and places the knife and cutting board into the sink. She turns towards her girlfriend and leans her back against the counter as she crosses her arms defensively over her chest.

"Oh, I'm _sorry_." She starts slowly. "I thought friends told one another when they're wrong." She defends, but this only gets an annoyed chuckle out of Quinn.

"But, you're _not _her friend." Quinn points out in a challenging way and she holds her hand up to stop Rachel from interrupting her. "Don't pretend like you ever actually liked her. I think you put up with her because of me, and most of the time I'm thankful." She tries to soften her voice the best she can and shakes her head. "But, you can't say shit to her like that. You live in this perfect world where it's black and white. It's either right or wrong. Nothing is that clear cut though. Maybe Santana wasn't acting like a great girlfriend and she did a bunch of fucked up things, but Brittany is no angel either." She explains. After a few long moments of silence and an unapologetic look on her girlfriend's face, she pushes the chair forcefully into the table and groans in disbelief. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

"I _didn't do _anything." Rachel holds her ground of innocence, but judging from Quinn's body language and facial expression, it's a lost battle.

"The funny part is that you really think that." She says in defeat. "Sure, Santana is a hard ass and sometimes she's a bitch. But, she's probably the most sensitive person I've ever met." Quinn tries to shed some light onto the inner workings of her best friend, but Rachel just rolls her eyes and turns back towards the boiling pot on the stove. "Do you know how hard it is for her right now?" Quinn asks in a smaller voice as though she is speaking for Santana. "Do you know how hard it is for her and then to be like that in front of someone like you?" Silence is the only thing between her questions that don't need verbal answers, but she'd still appreciate some sort of response. "She was practically inconsolable when I got there. The only reason she's not like that anymore is because she's asleep. And that took me slipping some Nyquil into her tea." Quinn admits with her head hung low.

* * *

><p>Back in Lima, Brittany is sitting in the same place she's been for the past two days; curled up on the sofa in the Pierce's living room with remote in hand. She idly presses buttons and stares on as countless commercials and reality television shows brighten up the otherwise dully lit room. The only time she's gotten up from the couch has been to go to the bathroom and grab a drink.<p>

She hadn't even realized how the day seemed to slip by her until her mother comes through the front door. Apparently it's after four, which is when her mother gets home from work every day. Brittany doesn't turn around like she normally would to greet anyone who bounces through the door. She doesn't really give much of a response at all.

Mrs. Pierce carefully sets her keys down into the bowl that is beside the coat closet near their front door and sadly looks over at her daughter. Her poor Brittany has been sitting in the corner of the couch, knees to her chest, wrapped up in a throw blanket and the remote in her hand. She's never quite seen her daughter like this and it's a tremendous ache in her chest to have to witness.

Mrs. Pierce makes her way over towards the couch and gently puts her hand down onto Brittany's shoulder and squeezes it affectionately. When she does so, her daughter only takes in a deep breath and lowers her head as she lets go of the remote control. It's a sign to Mrs. Pierce that her little girl has done more thinking that watching anything on the muted television set.

"How are you doin'?" Mrs. Pierce asks in a soft voice and moves around the couch to take the spot just a few feet from Brittany.

"I can't stop wondering what she's doing." Brittany admits as she pulls the blanket closer to her chest. "Is she as sad as I am?" She pouts and stares dejectedly at the coffee table separating her parent's couch and television, much like at her apartment in New York. "Or is she fine?"

"Honey," Mrs. Pierce breathes out in a motherly concerned kind of manner. "I'm sure she's just as mopey as you are." She tries to offer her daughter some kind of smile, but it's almost of no use because Brittany is staring at the furniture in the living room.

"I'm not _mopey_." Brittany defends with a huff and buries half of her face into the fringes of the blanket. "I'm..." She tries at words, even with fabric in her mouth, but gives up because she can't think of anything to say.

"I know." Mrs. Pierce scoots closer to her and pats her back. "Your heart hurts." Brittany nods sadly and allows herself to fall into her mother's embrace.

Before either of them can say another word, the door opens once again and this time Brittany glances over. She's surprised because she is half expecting her father, but is instead seeing her older sister closing the front door to their parent's house. Laurie smiles in their direction as she leans down to put her bag to the floor and kicks off her shoes like she used to when they were little.

"Hey sweetie." Mrs. Pierce greets and with one last hug to her middle daughter, gets up to offer one to her oldest.

"Hey mom." Laurie hugs her mother just as tightly as ever and looks over her shoulder at Brittany as she does so. "Hey Britt." She offers her little sister a tight lipped smile as she lets go of her mother.

"I better go get dinner started." Mrs. Pierce lets out as she starts to put her hair up with the random hair tie she always keeps on her wrist. "You're staying right?" She asks Laurie before she vanishes into the kitchen.

"Sure am." Laurie nods with a smile and waits for her mother to be out of the room to venture towards Brittany, still sitting on the couch.

She takes a spot, a little further than where her mother had been sitting, and glances over at the state her sister is in. Brittany's hair is up in a messy ponytail, her shirt looks like she's been wearing it for a few days and is stretched out by the neck. Her socks are on the floor and one of her pant legs are up by her calf while the other is tucked under her heel.

After a few moments of silence and the tiny volume of the un-muted television set, Laurie takes in a deep breath and sets her clasped hands onto her lap. She twists her lips in thought and wonders if Brittany knows she's looking at her and just ignoring her or she's totally immersed in the thoughts swimming in her own head.

"I know this is none of my business," Laurie starts after a mini debate in her head. "But what are you doing?" She asks curiously.

"I'm watching TV." Brittany replies easily.

"No," Laurie sighs out in slight amusement. "I meant, what are you doing _here_?"

"Can't I visit?" She breathes out in frustration and with a bit of defeat.

"Well, yeah, of course." Laurie assures her, sending a quick glance at the television. "But, look, mom told me what happened." She confesses and Brittany drops her hand into her lap. "Plus, it's kind of obvious something is up because, you're short a girlfriend and you're mopey." She watches as her sisters eyes flicker around the entertainment center and then to the blanket. "Jaime keeps asking me what's going on." She adds, letting Brittany know that their younger sister is just as worried and curious.

"It's complicated." Brittany sighs.

"_So_, why don't you tell me about it and then maybe I can help make it a little less complicated." Laurie offers. Brittany takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly as she presses the mute button on the remote again.

"I don't really know where to start." She says softly.

"The beginning is always a good start." Her sister points out.

* * *

><p>"Santana, sweetie." Mrs. Lopez's voice streams trough the apartment. "I haven't heard from you in two weeks. I... I ran into Laurie the other day." There's a bit of silence for a few long seconds. "Laurie Pierce. I don't know what's going on, but she... just call me, please."<p>

Santana waits for the beep that comes when her mother has finished leaving her message to let out the breath she'd been holding. She wasn't sure if she was holding it to keep herself from answering or waiting to hear anything about Brittany. She glances around the living room from her spot on the couch. It's the same. It's warm and cozy. It's theirs. That thought tears through her like a knife through cardboard. It's rough and uneven. She groans inwardly as she lets her body fall to the couch, clutching a pillow to her chest.

* * *

><p>"Okay," Laurie nods a few times after Brittany finishes. "Listen, I think somewhere along the way, you two have forgotten what is really important." She points out. "You have each other and you love each other." Brittany tightly shuts her eyes and rubs the heels of her palms into her eyelids. What her sister is saying is the truth, but even so, she's not sure if the rest of what Laurie is going to say is. "Everything that gets in the way doesn't take that away or diminish it. Only a few years ago you were in Santana's shoes and she was in yours. Maybe the details are a little different, but it's pretty much the same. I'm not gonna say you're overreacting, because, everyone is entitled to the way that they feel."<p>

"I just... I felt like I was losing her." Brittany admits quietly. She opens her eyes and looks down to watch the way her fingers twist and tug at the strings of the blanket on her lap.

"Thing is little sis," Laurie scoots a little closer to her. "You're not a teenager anymore. You can get upset with Santana or the way your relationship is going all you want. But, you can't resort to picking up and leaving at the drop of a hat. You're kind of an adult now." Laurie explains carefully, giving little moments between her words for Brittany to interject. But, when she doesn't interrupt or nod or anything, Laurie continues. "I mean, I get that you're still young and this is your first real relationship. For the both of you. But, I think it's safe to say we both know you want it to be your last." Brittany looks down at her lap and stills her hands. "Maybe this past year has been rough and things between you guys have been feeling like they are going backwards or at a standstill." Laurie smiles and pats her sister on the arm. "But, baby, that's life and that's how relationships are. Some days they are so exciting, you can't believe it and other days it feels boring and repetitive. But, it's never really _that_ boring." The chuckle she lets out is not forced, just more knowing. "How can it be boring when you're loved and in love?" She lowers her head to get a read on Brittany's facial expression. It's sad, but she assumed it would be. "Disagreements happen. So do fights. It's nerve racking to put all your trust into one person, other than yourself. But, if they are 'the one', then you don't really have a choice." Laurie moves until she's close enough to throw her arm around Brittany's shoulders and pulls her into her. She presses her cheek to her sister's head and puts a kiss to her hairline. "Santana loves you and I know for a fact that she would never put her relationship with you on the line for anything or anyone. At least not on purpose."

"It's not..." Brittany tries to chime in but her voice catches in her throat.

"What?" Laurie jumps in before the silence takes over. "It's not that simple?" She challenges. "It's not that easy to forgive her?" Brittany slowly shakes her head. "Britt, like I said before, it was only a couple of years ago that the roles were practically reversed." Brittany lifts her head and shoots her sister a quizzical stare. "How would you have felt if Santana had up and left you because of that teacher thing?" Laurie asks. "I get that this hurts. But, relationships are hard. The thing you gotta realize is that if it hurts this much, then it's gotta be real." When she senses that this conversation is becoming more of a lecture than she had initially intended, she pushes herself up from the couch with a sigh. "It's a life sentence." She comments as she steps away from the couch and around the back of it. "Neither of you are going to forget the wrongs each of you have committed. Ever." She looks on as her little sister continues to play with the frayed strings on the throw blanket in her lap. "Sometimes, they'll be times you even bring up things from the past that are irrelevant just to win an argument. This can't be one of them. But," Laurie takes a small breath and lets it out slowly. "That's a decision you are going to have to make on your own. Are you willing to push this aside and save your relationship? Because, you have to ask yourself, is it worth it?"

"If my relationship is worth it?" Brittany breaks out of her silence, stunning her sister into a dead stop before reaching the hallway. She turns around and finds Brittany looking back at her.

"No," Laurie shakes her head and sends Brittany a kind smile. "If this is worth your relationship."

* * *

><p>When Santana reaches the doors to Nelson's for opening, she's greeted by Quinn with a small smile and quick nod. It's been hard, having to come to work with everything else in her life being turned completely upside down. But, there's no real choice in the matter because she has to work. She still lives in the real world even if her world is currently in shambles.<p>

The first two weeks, she's been working like a zombie. Her body was simply going through the motions of getting coffee, taking orders, swiping credit cards and wishing people a good day. Even now, nearly three weeks since Brittany's been gone, her mind is still not with reality.

Luckily, school has finally ended and she no longer has to shake with the slight feeling of possibly having to see Trish or even fathom a face to face confrontation with the girl. She'd gotten the chance to talk to Dina though, who assured her that Trish would no longer bother her. Apparently, upon hearing about everything, Dina gave Trish a piece of her mind and then quit going to study sessions in protest.

Of course Santana felt awful for Dina's decision, not liking that it had something to do with her problems. But, her friend told her that she was just waiting for Trish to do something to piss her off and this was just the reason to tear into her. Ironically, all Santana could think was that after all of this, she actually did make a friend.

"I talked to Brittany." Quinn announces in a soft voice once they are in the back putting on their aprons. Santana's hands still behind her, strings in her hand, and she looks at her friend. "Yesterday." Quinn adds. "She's…" She tilts her head side to side, as though finding the right words to describe the girl in question, and she purses her lips.

"Is she coming back?" Santana asks, with so much hope that she cringes when she hears her own voice. Quinn finishes tying the bow of her apron at her back and smoothes her hands over the front.

"I don't know." She shakes her head and lets out a sigh through puffed cheeks. "But," She lets out slowly. "She asked about you." Santana ears perk up at this. She doesn't want to get her hopes up though, it could just be Brittany being sweet and kind Brittany. "I didn't know what to tell her." Santana lowers her head at this. Of course, Quinn is still on Brittany's side.

She nods a few times, pats Quinn on the arm and then turns to head out into the dining room.

"I didn't know what you wanted me to tell her." Quinn says, making Santana stop at the swinging doors. "Look," She sighs and looks down to the ground when her friend turns towards her. "I'm sorry." She apologizes and when she finally lifts her eyes she finds Santana shooting her a perplexed look. "Not just for what you're going through, even if it sort of is self inflicted." She explains with a shrug of her shoulders. "I shouldn't be telling you what an ass you've been." Her lips twist and Santana breathes out a half hearted laugh. "You don't need me to remind you of… well, I should be telling you how to fix it." She offers a small smile and a nod, admitting defeat in the 'best friend' department.

"You've been fine." Santana assures her and clears her throat as she shifts her feet. But, Quinn simply shakes her head.

"I haven't, but, thanks." She replies, uncomfortably crossing her arms over her midsection. "I guess I just want you to know that I'm not 'Team Brittany'." Santana grins and gives her an approving nod. "Actually, I'm 'Team Brittany _and_ Santana'. So…" They stand there in a comfortable silence that hasn't existed in weeks between them and smile back at one another.

The little 'tender' moment with Quinn, even if only a little bit, lightened up Santana's day. The guests at Nelson's annoyed her a little less and she was even able to allow herself, well her mind really, to think of others things. At shift change, she received a whole hearted 'I'll see you later' from Quinn who was pulling a double.

Maybe there wasn't exactly a little pep in her step, but knowing that her friend officially had her back, it made her feel a tiny bit more at ease. Even if that feeling was fleeting.

On her walk home, she tried to enjoy the cool spring breeze that was slowly being taken over by the upcoming change of season. Normally, she'd be over the moon about summer approaching so rapidly. But, to her at least, the weeks and days and hours and minutes seem to be passing her by at a glacial pace. Every second she doesn't hear from Brittany or is unsuccessful in getting in touch with her, it only makes her wish the season would pause, not wanting time to continue on with them apart.

She's not suicidal or anything that extreme, she's heartbroken. Every inch of her body aches. A breath of the fresh air stings because it isn't mixed with the sweet scent of Brittany's perfume or even her natural smell. The sun burns her eyes, but that's probably due to the fact that she keeps her shades drawn whenever she is at home. And even though the temperature is rising, she has a constant chill that sadness can only bring on and there is nothing she can do to shake it.

Her days and nights spent at home when she doesn't have work, are boring and depressing. It's easy when Quinn is around and ironically, even when Rachel is around, even if all _she_ does is berate her. But, company is company she figures. It's when she is alone though that causes her chest to ache and her tummy to jumble around until she feels ill.

In their earlier years of friendship, Santana and Brittany often watched those romantic movies of long lost love. Of course they did, it's what girls watch when they have sleepovers and the boys they 'dated' wouldn't want to watch a sap-fest like 'The Notebook'. Sure, they watched the various independent films here and there that seemed interesting. They dabbled in the horror flicks, much to Santana's protest and silly movies as well.

For some reason or another, at this moment in walking home from work, all Santana can think about is how she felt after the first time seeing 'The Notebook'. She couldn't for the life of her understand how these two characters could be so connected and completely enamored with one another. She grew increasingly confused at how detached from the rest of the world the guy was after losing his lady love. Of course she got he was 'in love' and all of that mushy stuff. He was sad or whatever. However, she couldn't quite grasp the feeling of not being able to let go. Could something really be that strong?

Santana understands now. She's there. She is trapped in that mist of the unknown. There's this uncertainty mixed between all of the certainty she has grown accustomed to. In a way, she envies the way the two characters in the movie were ripped apart. For a second, she wished that there were other reasons that separated herself from Brittany. But, she shakes her head at herself, it doesn't matter how or why they are apart right now. Whatever the reason, it would hurt just the same.

"Santana?" A voice catches her off guard and she nearly stumbles over her own feet. Through the evening hustle of the city streets, she glances over her shoulder to find a familiar face smiling cautiously back at her.

* * *

><p>"Brittany." A voice catches her off guard and she nearly stumbles over her own feet. In a rather empty cereal aisle, safe for herself and the person calling her name, Brittany glances over her shoulder to find a familiar face looking curiously back at her.<p>

"Mrs. Lopez." Brittany says nervously, yet as sweetly as possible while she fumbles with two boxes of Cheerios. She places them back haphazardly, clears her throat and attempts a smile. "How've you been?" She asks, turning her body fully towards the older woman who firmly but hesitantly pushes her cart closer.

"Worried." She admits evenly, not at all sugar coating her concern for whatever it is going on. It's obvious to Brittany, judging by the woman's posture and slight tilt of the head, that Mrs. Lopez has more of than just a bout of confused concern as to what has happened between her and Santana. Just as Brittany is hanging her head with unease and a tad of embarrassment, Mrs. Lopez continues to speak. "Santana hasn't been returning my calls for a month." She admits, catching Brittany's attention quickly. "I ran into your sister a few weeks ago and she said you were home." The Lopez eyebrow raise comes to the scene and Brittany has to do her best at trying to avoid the inquisitive stare.

"Oh." She can't bare it to meet her girlfriend/ex-girlfriend's mother's eyes. She can't even believe that the only response she can give is 'oh'.

Sure, there is a ton to say. There is a ton to explain. But, at the same time, Mrs. Lopez isn't her mother and she just doesn't feel right in telling the sordid details of her and Santana's current situation. Especially considering she isn't even sure what that situation even is. Luckily, before Brittany can enter a long tirade of hums and other various stuttering, her mother shows up in the same aisle.

"Oh, Britt, there you are." Mrs. Pierce chuckles and makes her way towards the middle of the aisle where she's just spotted her daughter. Her stride slows down however, when she spots Mrs. Lopez standing in front of Brittany. "Anita." She smiles, sending a quick look at her daughter who is shuffling her feet from side to side.

"Kate." Mrs. Lopez greets in the same fashion. "How are things?" She asks with genuine interest.

As the two older women make small talk, Brittany slinks behind her mother and just watches. One of the greatest and most amazing things that Brittany and Santana had received during the duration of their relationship was understanding and support from both of their families. Not only that, but their families got along so well too. Sometimes, she couldn't believe how incredible their lives were and were going to be in the future.

A big fear for Santana and one of the many reasons it took her so long to come out and declare her feelings for and to Brittany was what would happen to her relationship with her family. The way things had turned out, well, Brittany couldn't have been more proud that regardless of that fear, Santana took that leap anyway. It showed her that no matter what anyone thought, even family, she was going to love her fiercely and fearlessly. The fact that the Lopez clan barely flinched at the news of their daughter's sexual orientation was definitely an added bonus.

But, it's moments like this one in particular that bring old, made-up memories rushing through Brittany's mind. It's similar to the ones she would have sitting at the park watching parents with their children. Only, this one is of her and Santana throwing some sort of party or family gathering. She would imagine coming into the kitchen for something, chips, dip or more wine to find their mothers chit chatting about when they were going to be grandmothers.

She hadn't had one of these visions in a while. It's been hard and kind of an everyday sort of task to think of these things. But, even now, it's not difficult to smile regardless if it is a sad one.

* * *

><p>"Dina." Santana greets kindly and turns towards the other girl.<p>

"Hey," Dina grips her purse that hangs from her shoulder tighter while she pushes through the small crowd brushing by them on the street. "I thought that was you." She shoots a friendly smile even though she gets a hard shoulder in her arm from some guy in a suit on the phone. Santana nods, because, it is her.

"Yep." She adds once Dina gets closer so they aren't yelling through quickly moving bodies.

"I've been meaning to call or text." Dina admits in a softer tone and shrugs her shoulders. "I, uh," She stammers, eyes taking in the current state Santana is in. "I heard what happened." She says regretfully with a tilt of her head. Santana nods twice and sucks in her lips, letting her chin come down to her chest.

"Yeah," She lets out a small chuckle and looks back up to Dina. "I heard her nose was broken." Dina's head jerks back slightly and looks momentarily confused until understanding finally shines in her eyes.

"Oh," Dina shakes her head and waves her hand between them. "No, I meant about you and Brittany." This stops Santana from smiling, instantly turning the corners of her mouth upside down which she tries to control into something that appears neutral.

"_Oh_." Santana blinks a few times, her eyes flit around to the people walking by and around them. "That." Dina bobs her head up and down, lips twist, unsure if she's just overstepped.

"I was hanging out with Alexis," She frantically starts to explain, using her hands as she speaks. "She said Brittany hadn't been seen in a while. Long story short, she got in touch with Kurt and he gave her the short version and… well… yeah." She takes a breath, finally, and lets it out slowly and tries to gauge Santana's reaction. But all Santana does is stare off to the side and bite on the inside of her lips. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry." Dina offers, moving her head to find Santana's eyes.

"Yeah," She just looks to the ground and kicks the concrete. "Me too."

"Listen," Dina interrupts the silence that slips between them and adjusts her bag again. "I'm actually running late, but, maybe one of these days we could get together." Santana finally looks up with sad uncertainty. "I mean," She shrugs and playfully rolls her eyes. "Truth is, you and Lauren were the only two in our whole little group I could actually stand." A small chuckle escapes Santana's throat finally letting Dina grin comfortably. After a promise to get together, the two say their farewells before heading off into opposite directions.

It's kind of hard to forget that she isn't heading home to her beautiful girlfriend these days. Sometimes, only a few, she has come home and caught herself opening her mouth to holler out a greeting to someone who is not there. Luckily, she won't be making that mistake today because of her short conversation with Dina. Sure, it was nice to have her classmate and possibly 'friend', show concern for her well being. But, it also just reminded her of her current life.

Tossing her keys onto the side table, she lets out a sigh and kicks her work shoes off. It used to be nice to get home to a bit of quiet. Sometimes it meant she had just enough time to prepare an impromptu romantic dinner for two, fixed with candles and flowers from the shop at the corner. Other times it meant Brittany was lying in bed waiting for her.

Truth is, she misses all the times. She misses the quiet unpredictable things that happened in the apartment as well as the loud, noisy things that happened. Biting on her bottom lip, she looks dejectedly over at the kitchen floor. There had been many times they would just lie there, staring at one another after a spontaneous intimate moment. They would discuss their lives at the moment and the things they wished and hoped for in the future. She remembers one time, on that very floor, they spoke about how moments like sex on the kitchen floor would not be as readily available to them when they decide to have a family.

It wasn't a question of 'if', but more of a 'when'. Santana was content with the fact that both she and Brittany _knew_ that their future together contained the same dreams. It was things like that, that made Santana feel so secure not only in herself but in their relationship.

Making her way over to the couch, too tired to get changed out of her Nelson's uniform just yet, she sets her elbows on her knees and jams the heels of her palms into her closed eyes. It breaks her heart to think that over in Lima, Ohio, Brittany could be sitting down on the Pierce's couch erasing all of the spoken, and more importantly the unspoken promises that they have made to one another.


	32. Chapter 32

Brittany sits in her old room on her old bed. It's pretty much the same except for the few one pound and five pound weights on the floor that her mother uses to workout with. Spread across her bed are pictures, notes that have been opened and re-opened so many times that they fall open with a flick of the wrist. Her McKinley High thunderclap sits among the other teenage treasures, bookmarked to pages filled with images and messages from her friends, favorite teachers and of course, Santana.

There are a pile of notes, written on graph paper from Math class, plain white paper from computer class and regular loose leaf paper from a binder. They are all from Santana. Some are filled with inside jokes and silly things that had happened through her day. There is even some where Santana dances around her feelings or tries to give a perfectly good explanation to their 'relationship'. Then there are the ones Brittany has put off to the side, separating them away from the rest of the clutter on her bed.

These notes are covered in doodles of their names together in squiggly writing and hearts all over the page. In the margins there are cute little things they said to one another in private. A few of the papers are apologies after fights. As she read through those, she wished that it was one of those petty fights they were having now. The ones where there's really no wrong and no right, but just frustration or hormones. She'd even settle for the kind of jealousy that occurs in high school, during those teen years where jealousy comes and goes like the wind.

She rests her chin in her hand and lets out a sigh. She wonders how many notes and letters Santana had gathered over the years with her apologizing profusely. The only time Brittany can remember ever really apologizing for something serious was freshman year of college after the Jason saga. Sure, she's certain other apologies that she has made over the years. But, she wonders if 'I'm sorry' has come from Santana more often than not.

Brittany's not a demanding person. She's not judgmental or cruel. Not saying that Santana is, but she definitely has her moments. Brittany isn't needy or clingy. Until a few months ago, she'd never been much of a jealous person either. Not to a serious extent anyhow. Actually, other than being a very sensitive person, Brittany doesn't want much of anything other than happiness. Not just happiness for herself, but for others as well and especially those she cares about.

She had always felt satisfaction in the fact that she was able to provide that happiness for Santana and that in turn, she had found it herself. Maybe that was a bit selfish, but it happened to come from a selfless act, so she felt okay about it.

But, now, staring down at these notes from their past she feels horrible. Her sister is right. She'd been taking advantage of the relationship she and Santana had been building over the years. They both had. It was the love, the blinding and so powerful love that had brought them together in the first place, that had taken the backseat in their relationship. Instead of being at the forefront, their passion and love and desire for one another, not just physically, had somehow gotten lost among the problems and the classes and the day to day of living together.

Brittany wonders how many times Santana had wanted an apology for something she had done, regardless if she'd realized she had done something semi wrong. Even if it had been something as small as forgetting to pick up her dry cleaning or embarrassing her in front of their families. There had been so many times that Brittany can remember Santana saying 'I'm sorry' until she was blue in the face for anything and everything that made her pout. Somewhere down the line, a normally two way street became a one way and Brittany had been too blind to realize.

Santana was always better with words though. It's no wonder she is practically sitting in a sea of scribbles and scrabbles from the girl who stole her heart. It's kind of funny, Brittany thinks. Santana makes speaking seem so effortless, yet when it comes to feelings she dances around the words to express those feelings until they come bursting out. And they are always beautiful words.

Then there's Brittany. She always knows how she feels. Most of the time. Only, the words don't fall from her lips or from a pen as flawlessly. It's easier for her to express herself through touch or a look. Feelings are easier expressed for Brittany by explaining it in a different way than other people might explain things. She uses her imagination rather than something completely tangible. Because, to Brittany, feelings aren't things that are right there to reach out and grab a hold of. Feelings are more complex than that and Brittany understands this. Her conversation with her older sister makes her realize that she has somehow forgotten how obtuse feelings can be.

She reaches out and grabs a hold of a familiar picture. It's actually a photo that she and Santana have on one of the bedside tables in their apartment in New York. It's one of those 'everyday' pictures. They'd been sitting inside all day because it was too hot outside and they had been playing around with Santana's new camera. She remembers it was their last week off before Cheerio practice started up again.

Brittany had her back against the couch with Santana sitting in front of her between her legs, holding the camera out in front of them. They had already taken a million and one photos of them kissing each other on the lips, cheeks and tips of their noses.

But, this one, this one was an accidental beauty. They had been spitting back silly little jokes and Brittany was poking at Santana's sides to get her laughing face in one of the pictures. She'd finally stopped poking at her and Santana finally stopped doing her 'gangsta face'. Santana asked if she was making a cheesy smile or something goofy and she'd turned her head to look at Brittany. Just as she did that, their eyes met and the flash went off.

Brittany smiles at the memory and of the picture of the two of them looking at one another and smiling softly. After the flash had gone off, Santana dropped the camera into her lap and pressed her lips to Brittany's. It was a sweet, chaste and delicious kiss.

She misses those moments. But those tiny, seemingly insignificant seconds are breathtaking nonetheless. Sometimes, it's the little things that make all the difference.

* * *

><p>Santana walks into the living room and realizes how messy she's let things get. Normally, the shoes she leaves in front of the door after work get kicked under the table by Brittany. Her Nelson's check book she sets on the coffee table gets set down onto the island table where she keeps her phone charger by Brittany. And all of the other little things she leaves lying around get put away or cleaned up by Brittany. Sure, she knows she's a bit of a messy person, but she's only reminded of Brittany's absence seeing all of the things she's left strewn around the apartment.<p>

With a sigh, she goes into the living room and grabs the two coffee cups the table has collected in the past two days. On the way to the kitchen, she walks around the back of the couch and kicks her work shoes under the table then with her free hand fixes the throw blanket that hangs on the back of the couch.

She glances up at the top of the refrigerator and groans because she remembers the cereal box up there is empty. She'd finished it three days ago. So, not only does she have to figure something else out for breakfast slash early lunch, but she really is too lazy sometimes. Her mother used to yell at her for putting back empty boxes, jars and other kinds of food containers that had nothing left. One time, Brittany had caught her putting back an empty jar of peanut butter into the cabinet at her mother's house. She supposes that she'd saved her from the wrath of Anita Lopez.

But that memory only serves to bring her back to the now and how Brittany is not around right now to make a comment about how Mrs. Lopez would have a fit about that cereal box. Then she would save the day by strutting to the cupboard in the hall and return with a new box of cereal, instantly fixing the situation and making Santana feel less like an ass.

After putting the coffee cups into the dishwasher she is reminded that she is out of dishwasher soap and comes to the conclusion that she should probably go shopping soon. She pulls a pen from the drawer and moves to the fridge where there hangs a notepad for grocery lists. Putting the tip of the pen to the floral paper, her eyes flicker to the left where a calendar hangs beside it. Her eyes widen for a moment, not in surprise but in disbelief at how time has really gone by.

Santana hadn't taken much notice, but her calendar is a full month behind and so she puts the pen in her mouth to flip to the next month. But, before she can fully do so, something catches her eye. There is a special day marked off with a tiny, red heart drawn in the corner. Her hand instantly comes up to slap herself on the forehead and she curses herself through the pen in her mouth.

"Ugh." She forgoes changing the month because not only has her own turmoil taken her out of the existence of ongoing time. But, it has made her forget something so very important. "I'm such a shit."

* * *

><p>"So, I talked to Rachel last week." Kurt says, taking the spot beside Brittany on the couch in the Pierce living room. She looks over at him, but he's keeping his eyes on the re-run of Project Runway that's on television. "She and Quinn made up." He explains vaguely, finally pulling his attention from the screen and over to his gal pal. She offers a sympathetic smile in reference to their friends' relationship recent problems. But, on the same note, it only reminds her of her own so she looks back at the television.<p>

"I haven't talked to either of them in a while." Brittany admits quietly. She feels real bad that she has had made practically zero effort in keeping in touch with them since she left New York. It's not that she doesn't want to or doesn't care; it's just that she's afraid to hear about Santana.

The last time she spoke to Quinn on the phone, she'd made the mistake of asking about Santana. It wasn't so much a mistake really, she wanted to know. But, at the same time, she didn't want to know if she was fine or if she was in as bad of shape as she was. Quinn side stepped the question and Brittany never actually got an answer. So, she reasoned, it'd be better not to call them because then she wouldn't feel inclined to ask. It's silly and childish, sure, but for right now it worked for her.

"Well," Kurt clears his throat and crosses his legs at the knee. "Apparently, Rachel and Santana went out for lunch and they kind of sort everything out." He explains, but this only confuses Brittany. She hadn't been aware of tension between those two. Well, anything different than when she was around. "Actually," He chuckles. "Rachel spent the entire lunch apologizing to Santana." Brittany raises her eyebrows in surprise and turns her attention back to Kurt.

"Yeah right." She breathes out in a chuckle. "What the hell has been happening over there?" Brittany asks curiously, but her smile soon fades when she remembers that she isn't in New York to see any of this going on. Kurt sends his friend an apologetic smile for bringing any of this up, but he also knows that he would want to know things if he were in her shoes.

"You know how Santana and Quinn are." He shrugs his shoulders and picks some lint off of his pants. "When one is in trouble, the other drops everything." He quirks an eyebrow in her direction. She knows this and she nods in understanding.

It's funny because Brittany never really thought much of it. She liked the fact that Santana and Quinn had their own little world, but she knew that Rachel had a problem with it sometimes. Rachel always wants to be the one and only person Quinn talks to about things. Most times, Brittany can't quite understand the problem. But, then there are some times when she can see Rachel's point of view. Partners are partners for a reason. They're best friends and tell each other everything. Brittany never had trust issues when it came to Quinn and Santana's relationship. She wonders if it's the trust that Rachel has mixed feelings about.

"I don't think it's like that." Brittany muses after a few moments. "I mean, yeah, they are always there for each other. But," She shrugs her shoulders and tucks her feet under her in one swift movement. "I think they both keep a good line between that relationship and their relationship with Rachel and…" She catches herself before she can finish. She was about to refer to her and Santana as still being in a relationship and the fact of the matter is, she isn't quite sure where it is that they stand. Instead of letting awkward silence hover over them for too long, Brittany clears her throat and changes the channel. "You know how Rachel is." She waves her hand that holds the remote.

Kurt does know how Rachel is, so he just nods his head and watches the channels flash by. He realizes that Brittany is right. With Santana and Brittany, the lines between their relationship and their friendships were never blurred or moved. There were times for friends and times to be there for them. But, regardless of the needs of their friends, their relationship was never compromised. Of course, until the last events that had happened, but that's a random glitch in the system.

From what Brittany knows, or rather from what Kurt has told her, is that Rachel has been having a hard time dealing with Santana. With everything that has happened between Brittany and Santana, she's been having to take away from her own time and her time with Quinn to keep Santana company. Of course Brittany feels grateful, though she wished she had those friends with her right now as well even if she does have Kurt by her side.

According to Kurt, Rachel has been having bouts with her own green eyed monster that comes in form of one Santana Lopez. She's been feeling as though the Brittany-Santana problems are infiltrating her own relationship with her own girlfriend. Of course that is kind of ridiculous. Even Brittany thinks so. But, then again Rachel is Rachel, and the world should turn and stop at her beckoning. So, she is not at all surprised that even with her friends in heartache, she can somehow manage to make it all about her.

She wonders if things between her friends, Quinn and Rachel, would still be out of whack if she and Santana weren't in some strange limbo. Of course they would be. Rachel always has something to complain about. But, for some reasons she can't quite explain, those little quirks are kind of the things Brittany likes about Rachel. It's kind of humorous because those are the very things that annoy Santana about Rachel.

Brittany sucks in her lips as she contemplates the relationships that have been created over the years between the five friends. When they were alone in their apartment they would sometimes analyze how odd their tight knit group was. It was Santana who pointed out that Rachel gave her and Quinn a hard time for their nights out or their little inside jokes. Rachel just couldn't understand that before she and Quinn came to be, that it was Santana, Brittany and Quinn.

It was such a wonderful feeling of understanding in her own romantic relationship. Knowing that, though their friendships were held high in their hearts it was each other who were of most importance, or priority really. Maybe that sounds selfish, but it was the truth. It's only now, that she feels as if she had forgotten hat trust along the way. Forgotten that meaningful and unspoken promise they made to one another day in and day out. Sure, there were things that pushed her to the edge. But, at the end of the day, she should have come back to that confidence they had always had in one another.

* * *

><p>Santana couldn't believe herself. Had she really been so wrapped up in her own miserable life that she just forgot? But, how could she forget? That day had been practically etched into her mind the first time it had ever become important for her friend. Now, one month late she walks towards the familiar apartment door, flowers in hand.<p>

They were always the same kind, a bouquet of wild flowers from the small shop down the block from this very apartment building. She had originally picked this kind because it reminded her of a specific holiday. Nervously, she knocks on the door and waits for a specific person to answer.

"Santana?" Quinn says in confusion when she finds her best friend in her hallway. But, before Santana can say a word, she holds out the small bouquet and an apologetic smile.

"I hate saying I forgot, because that much is obvious." She watches Quinn's eyes flicker to the flowers and the way her hand reaches out to grab them. The blonde offers the beautiful floral arrangement a tight lipped smile before lifting her eyes to send the look to the girl in front of her. "I'm so sorry." Santana says with a frown and shoves her hands into the pockets of her jacket.

Quinn lifts her fingers and plays delicately with the petals of the yellow flower in front of her. She half smiles and nods. When Santana had forgotten, she understood. There were so many things going on in her own life, it didn't surprise her much that something that happened so many years ago would be put aside in a box in a corner. Not that it didn't hurt, because of course it did. It's kind of why Rachel had been giving Santana so much shit.

"It's okay." Quinn assures her, reaching out to set a gentle, friendly hand on Santana's shoulder and squeezes it. She tries to smile gratefully, but she just shakes her head.

"No, it's not though." Santana replies. "You've been such an amazing friend to me through all of this shit." She explains, referring to her relationship problems. "And your awesomeness only shines a bright ass light on how much I suck." She gnaws on her bottom lip, watching the way Quinn is admiring the flowers.

"She's six this year." Quinn comments. The corners of Santana's mouth turn upside down for a brief moment, but she manages a gentle smile just as Quinn lifts her eyes to look at her.

"Yeah." Santana says in a soft voice and nods.

"Come in." Quinn waves her in and walks towards the kitchen to go put her flowers in a vase.

"So," Santana starts as she closes the door behind her. "Did Shelby send you a picture?" She hesitantly asks. Quinn falls quiet for a moment as she sets the vase in the center of the kitchen table after filling it with water and the flowers.

"Let me go get it." She finally falls out of her quiet stupor and flits down the hall to retrieve said picture. In a few short seconds, Quinn returns with an envelope in her hands a sweet smile on her face. "She sent me a few." She explains and offers the envelope to Santana.

She opens the envelope carefully, seeing that there are indeed a small stack of pictures inside. Santana grins from ear to ear as she takes a look at each one for a minute or two. She can't believe that there is a little Quinn out in the world. Sometimes, she forgets that there is this tiny person living among them. It's kind of easy to do considering that little person isn't around to remind them.

"She has Puck's mouth." Santana comments and turns the picture she's looking at and points to Beth's lips. Quinn playfully rolls her eyes and nods.

"If Shelby's lucky, that's all she'll get from him." Quinn says and they both let out a giggle. "Nah, he's actually not so bad." She adds as an afterthought when Santana goes back to the pictures in her hands.

"Have you been drinking wine coolers again?" Santana jokes, getting an unimpressed look from Quinn at her horrible attempt at a joke. "Too soon?" She winks as she flips to the next photo.

"I never told you this," Quinn starts after a few moments of silence and Santana looks up at her. "Mostly because I appreciate the effort you put in on that day. It's special." They nod knowingly at one another. "But, Puck and I have kept in touch." To say Santana is shocked wouldn't be the right word really. "We e-mail or call one another on Mother's Day and Father's Day. It just kind of became a thing." She shrugs. "And I haven't told Rachel either." She shakes her head and glances down at their kitchen table for a moment. "Sometimes I feel like she doesn't understand."

"But, if anyone should, it should be Rachel." Santana interrupts and takes a step towards the kitchen table separating her from Quinn. "She's the product of the same circumstance." She explains. Quinn nods, because she thought that too at one point.

"She doesn't understand _my_ side." She quirks an eyebrow and shakes her head.

"I guess that's to be expected. I mean, it _is_ Rachel Berry after all." Santana jokes and Quinn just nods knowingly.

"Also," Quinn chimes in after a beat. "I've decided that," She looks down at her hands resting on the chair. "I just can't anymore." She tilts her head and glances over at Santana how is looking back at her over the photographs. "I love seeing her beautiful face." She shrugs her shoulders and smiles sadly. "She's getting so big, but, I just can't." Quinn shakes her head and sniffles. "I figured it would be easier on everyone, so, I asked Shelby to not send me pictures or updates." A tear falls down her cheek but she is quick to wipe it away. "Not just because it's hard, but, what happens when she gets older?" She asks herself more than she's asking Santana. "It's only going to get harder and harder to be okay. Ya know?" She blinks away other offending tears and clears her throat.

"Yeah." Santana croaks out and places the pictures back into the envelope, setting it down onto the table. She stands there awkwardly in the silence that has swept over them. She watches the way Quinn sniffles some more and straightens herself up, wanting to get rid of these overwhelming feelings. "How 'bout we watch some bad movies tonight?" She offers with a small smile. Quinn nods and wipes some more stray tears from her face.

"I'd like that." She smiles through her sadness that is oddly laced with a relieved happiness. "I'll pick up the snacks after work." They grin at one another and finally move by the small kitchen table to go in for a long awaited hug.

* * *

><p>Finally, after spending all day cleaning, Santana is putting away the last of her crap away. She can't believe how much stuff she actually leaves just lying around and promises herself to try and change her messy ways. She picks up the movies she'd gotten from the Red Box by the shop downtown and gives them one last look over. She's pretty confident that they are going to have an awesome bad movie night and she seriously can't wait to get in on those goodies Quinn promised to bring over. There's nothing like having an inside night when it's all rainy and cold outside.<p>

A little chill runs through her body at the memory of an hour ago when she braved the little storm outside just for some movies. A small price to pay for being a forgetful friend. But, eve doing something nice doesn't help warm up her bones so she moseys her way on over to the guestroom to grab her cozy zip up hoodie.

As she zips it up, she realizes there is something in the pocket seeing as it hits against her hip. Slipping her hand inside the pocket, she instantly knows what it is just by the feeling. Her heart clenches in her chest when the object comes into view. She chews on her bottom lip as she twists the box around in her hands. She's been keeping this box close by as a reminder of things she needs to do and the things she's done. When she hears the door to her apartment open, she shoves the box back into her pocket as if it brings her closer to Brittany.

"Hey girl hey." Quinn announces as she closes the door.

"Yo." Santana calls out, turning the corner of the hallway and into the living room. She stares at Quinn as her friend's face changes into awe and disbelief. Her hazel eyes scan the living room and then fall onto the room behind Santana, the kitchen.

"What the hell happened in here?" She asks in curiosity.

"I cleaned."

"What?" Quinn shoots her a confused look.

"I clean." She defends and Quinn tries to stifle her laughter.

"You make messes." Quinn points out and places her bag and umbrella on the side table. "Brittany cleans up." Neither of them says anything for a few, but long seconds, realizing the double meaning behind those words. Quinn clears her throat and adjusts the positioning of her bag. "So, you come up with a plan yet S?" Quinn interrupts her silence and Santana looks up forgetting she isn't alone.

Santana purses her lips and tilts her head down towards the coffee table where she's put the movies. She's not really looking at them, but is simply staring at them while she thinks. Out of habit, she jams her hands into the pockets of her hoodie and instantly hits the contents of one of them.

Without answering her, Santana pulls one of her hands from the pocket of her hoodie and tosses a small box to Quinn who was not prepared, but catches it after fumbling it a little. After Santana is certain her friend caught it she turns towards the kitchen and opens the refrigerator. Quinn inspects the closed box and looks from it to Santana in confusion before she finally opens it up. She undoes the clasp that is keeping it closed and flips it open just enough to see the contents getting a glare from the fixed lights in the apartment ceiling.

Her nose scrunches, her eyes narrow, shutting the top quickly then stares at it closed for a second. But then opens it again and her eyes dart to Santana. Santana is leaning against the island that separates the kitchen from the living. She was watching Quinn look at it, close the top, look at her, open the box and look again for a few minutes. Finally, Quinn marches herself over to where Santana is, box still clutched in her hand, continuing to look at it bewildered.

"What the fuck is this?" She asks, as if it were something she has never seen before. Santana gives her a look.

"It's a ring." Santana tells her, thinking it was fairly obvious. Quinn opens it again and pulls the box closer to her face to see it better.

"Like an _engagement_ ring?" Her friend asks in all seriousness.

"Is there any other kind?" Santana tosses back.

"I always imagined you proposing using a ring pop or like a mood ring or some other thing that cost you twenty five cents to get." She lets out as she inspects the ring. "Is that," Her eyes widen and she shakes her head. "Is that a _sapphire_ and _two_ diamonds?" Quinn gasps pointing at the stone and whips her head to Santana who offers a nod.

"Yep." She lets out with a pop of her lips.

"_Wow_." Quinn breathes out, still in disbelief at the sight before her. "I mean…" She turns to Santana and then nothing comes out of her mouth so then she turns back to the box in her hand. "I mean just… _wow_." She shakes her head some more. "Wait a minute, _you can't propose to Brittany_." She interrupts her eyes from making love to the jewelry and shuts it before she gets sucked back in. Santana raises her eyebrows and crosses her arms. "Santana, you can't just drive into town after not talking to one another for… a really long time. After not talking, might I add, because you got caught lying and everything looked _really_ bad. And then Brittany, she just, like, left." She blurts out making sure to get everything out before her friend interrupts her. But the interruption never comes and she shakes her head just waiting for some kind of reaction. Santana moves her eyes from her friend's and to the box, taking it back slowly letting her thumb play with the clasp.

"You know, last week I went to the jewelers to return this." Santana begins, but she is kind of talking out loud and not really telling a story.

"Wait, you returned it and then bought it again?" Quinn asks confused, but Santana rolls her eyes.

"Would you just listen Fabray?" She demands. "I went there to return it and I got all the way to the entrance but I couldn't go in." Santana pauses and opens the box up for herself so she can look at the ring. "Giving back this ring would mean that all of those feelings I had when I bought it never happened and then that would mean the past me and Brittany shared never existed. Giving back this ring would be giving up and I'm not ready to do that just yet and I don't think she is either."

"Santana, I don't meant be irritatingly repetitive, but you still _can't_ propose. If she said 'yes' then your whole relationship would just be based on this fight and the past wouldn't matter then anyway." Quinn tries to explain.

"I'm not proposing, Quinn." She finally tells her and Quinn lets out a semi relieved sigh but is still suspicious. "Not yet anyway. I had this on me because it is a reminder that I need to get her back because we belong together." Quinn nods and smiles kindly to her friend. "Now can you start the movie, I got treats I needs to snack on." She jokes and Quinn giggles and even though it is slightly forced Santana appreciates it.

"Oh, shoot." Quinn face palms herself. "I forgot the goodies." Santana gives her a very disapproving look and groans.

"Quinnie, I needs to get my sugar fix." She whines as she makes her way over to the coffee table to set her drink down. "I read that chocolate and other various sugared deliciousness can help mend a broken heart."

"Come on," Quinn sighs and rolls her eyes as she pushes herself away from the island table and towards the side table where her bag and umbrella are. "It's raining, but the bodega is right at the corner and they have goodies for your fat ass." With a devilish grin, well, the best one she has seen on Santana in a while, Quinn shakes her head at the child like reflexes in her friend at the mention of candy and tosses her the umbrella.

Within minutes the girls are stepping into the elevator, luckily without Santana's smelly neighbor from three doors down. Though, they do comment about how his scent seems to linger regardless of how long it has been since his last ride. Just before they hit the first floor, Quinn pulls out her phone and starts typing furiously with an interesting look on her face.

"You better not be sexting Berry in my presence, I've warned you about that." Santana says side eyeing Quinn who just continues typing.

"I'm not." Quinn responds in a snippy manner.

"You're not… texting Brittany are you?" She asks in a weak voice glancing at her, obviously upset at the idea. Actually, not upset, just uncertain.

"No, S, I'm not. I haven't talked to her since she called me that one time." Quinn replies looking up at her after pressing send on her cell. "Besides, I haven't been able to reach her on her cell anyway." She adds.

"Me neither." Santana shrugs her shoulders and tugs at the strings of her rain jacket.

"Rachel has an idea though." She lets out and Santana tenses up at those words. "She said all day she's been doing some 'recon'." She explains, but even she sounds unenthused. Santana sighs and motions with her hand for Quinn to continue with Rachel's plan for her. After Quinn spills all of the details Santana nervously breathes out and silence takes over them as she ponders it. They stop just outside the elevator and Santana turns to Quinn, pulling at the sleeve of her sweat shirt.

"So, she pretty much thinks I should 'Say Anything' her?" Santana quirks an eyebrow and plays with umbrella in her hand.

"Umm, minus the hideous trench coat and ancient boom box, yes." Quinn nods with a cheesy smile. "I mean, we could always bust out Rachel's bedazzled CD player if you _really _wanted to do that." She chuckles at the thought of Santana standing outside of Brittany's parent's house holding the jeweled radio over her head.

"I think that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard." Santana scoffs, waves her hand in dismissal and rolls her eyes.

"I don't know if it will fix everything, but, if someone did that for me… I would know they care about me." Quinn offers hesitantly. Santana nods because the idea of it is all wonderful in thought, but in reality it's extremely unrealistic and kind of depressing. Depressing because, John Cusack was out there for a really long time and his girl never came running out of that house to tell him she loved him. Not right away anyway.

"I don't think so, Q." She begrudgingly replies. "How is it that she still gets in the middle of things when she is not even here?" Quinn laughs shaking her head.

"She's a hopeless romantic." Quinn smiles at the thought of her girlfriend being this and takes the initiative to head towards the doors leading out to the sidewalk. "Ugh, it's really coming down." She groans, instantly rethinking this whole trek out into the stormy weather just for candy bars.

"Don't try and get out of this, Q. You owe me a Milky Way." Santana points to her as though she were a mother being stern with her child.

Santana pulls the door to the apartment building open and ushers Quinn to take the lead of venturing out into the nasty weather. Reaching the bottom of the steps Quinn goes to turn to her right where Santana is supposed to be, only she isn't. She spins around and notices her friend facing the other direction. Quinn squints her eyes through the rain falling beyond her umbrella and her eyes widen in disbelief.

"Brittany?" Santana breathes out in confusion.

Rain dribbles down the sides of her face and she furiously blinks them away from blurring her vision. She doesn't want the rain to be the reason for this sight. She doesn't want her mind to be playing tricks on her. So, she takes a step forward and opens the umbrella in her own hand to hold it over her, protecting her from the rain.

"Brittany," She says again, a little louder. "What are you…?" Her voice trails off though.

Brittany is here.


	33. Chapter 33

"Brittany," She says again, a little louder. "What are you…?" Her voice trails off though.

Brittany is here. She's in New York and she is standing less than ten feet away from Santana. A hand on her shoulder reels her back and she looks to her right to find a confused but hopeful Quinn.

"I'll just…" She motions between Santana and Brittany with her finger and jerks her head in the other direction. "I'll leave you to it." With a small smile of glee, Quinn walks away. Santana turns her attention back towards the current and soggy situation. Brittany is standing there with a backpack slung over her shoulders, dripping wet with a similar confused yet hopeful expression Quinn had just given her.

"What are you doing here?" Santana finally asks, chancing a step or two towards the girl she hasn't seen in over a month.

"You're here." Brittany tells her easily with a shrug of her shoulder. "I…" Her eyes fall to where Santana's feet are and shakes her head at herself. "I would have… I should have been here sooner." She admits, finally lifting her eyes back up to meet Santana's.

Santana's mouth opens but nothing comes out so she closes it and clears her throat. Instead of having this conversation, if they are actually going to have it, they aren't going to do it out here on the sidewalk in the rain. So then, she waves towards the door of the apartment building and steps closer to Brittany setting her hand onto the wet fabric of her shirt.

"Let's go inside." She tells Brittany with a tilt of her head and a half smile full of uncertainty. "You're soaking wet and I don't want you to catch a cold." Brittany can't fight the small grin that comes to her face. Even after everything they'd done and said to each other, Santana still cares about her well being; a good sign.

They quietly make their way towards the elevator once they are inside and away from the rain. Santana closes her soaked umbrella and shakes it out, more or less using at a distraction because she can't think of words right now. Their ride up to their floor is just as silent. The only noise is that of squeaky shoes and the drip drops of water falling from Brittany's clothes.

When the elevator doors open, Santana offers for Brittany to step out first, another moment that assures Brittany of everything they'd had still exists. Two tiny moments in the span of five minutes, but so meaningful. She notices the way Santana's hands fumble with the keys as she tries to smoothly open the door for them.

Once inside the apartment, they stand awkwardly in a place that had once upon a time been _theirs_. Of course, it still is, to the both of them even if they don't say those exact words at this exact moment. Santana sets the wet umbrella underneath the side table against the wall and drops her keys into the bowl. As she goes to hang her rain jacket onto the coat rack, she finds Brittany looking around the place with slight surprise. She smirks because she can tell Brittany is noticing how clean the apartment looks, especially considering she hasn't been here in a while.

"You can take your backpack off." Santana comments softly as she unzips her hoodie and steps away from the table. Brittany is taken out of her daze and looks over to the couch where Santana is hanging her sweatshirt over the back. She sucks on her lips and sort of smiles at the fact that she was momentarily paralyzed with overwhelming emotions from every which way. "I mean, if you want to." Santana adds with a shrug of her shoulders and glances down at her fingers as they pick at the fabric of the throw blanket.

Brittany pushes her thumbs under the straps of her backpack and pulls it up from her shoulders. Carefully, she sets it down between the coat rack and the table against the wall. Santana takes in Brittany's appearance and her own shoulders drop.

"I… I haven't eaten yet." Santana says once Brittany stands up straight, unsure of where to put her hands so she settles for her back pockets. "I could go get something and give you time to shower." She motions towards the hallways behind her where both bathrooms are up for grabs. Brittany looks down at her bag that is still wet and both of them wonder if her clothes have gotten just as wet. "You can borrow sweats if you need." She offers, nervously crossing her arms over her stomach.

"Okay." Brittany nods, finally coming out her chilled stupor and they smile at one another for a brief moment.

"Okay." Santana claps her hands together and grabs her rain coat once again as well as the umbrella. "I'll go get some pizza." She figures pizza is the easiest because it's right next to the bodega which was her nights first destination pre Brittany showing up out of the blue.

"Thanks." Brittany says softly and Santana looks over her shoulder as she reaches for the door knob.

"I'll be right back."

With that, Brittany is left alone in their apartment for the first time in a long while. It's pretty much the same as she left it, although she did expect it to be one hot mess when she decided to return. Not because she assumed Santana would be lying on the floor in complete and utter sadness, maybe a little bit, but because Santana rarely picked up after herself.

But, there under the table are her work shoes in the same place Brittany usually kicks them. There are no coffee mugs left on the coffee table and that pesky Nelson's check presenter where Santana keeps her money is actually on the kitchen island.

Brittany sighs and bends down to open her bag, only to be not so surprised that her things are indeed a little damp. She groans because it would figure she'd have to start the first night of her and Santana talking wearing clothes with Santana's scent all over it. She doesn't mind the scent, but it just makes her dizzy. It brings back so many memories and feelings and her stomach flutters. She loves it, of course. But, she needs to remain level headed for all of what is about to happen.

She takes her shoes off and sets them beside her bag and shoves her wet socks into them. Her feet coldly stick to the wood floor as she makes her way down towards the bedroom they used to share. But, when she walks in, she realizes that the living room and kitchen aren't the only things that look exactly the same as when she had left. Their bedroom literally looks like the day she had picked up and gone back to Lima.

Carefully, she heads over to the dresser and opens the top drawer to grab some pajama or sweatpants. She settles on an old pair of grey sweats that are on top and then opens the second drawer to get a shirt. For some reason, her body is trying to move as fast as possible as if the air in here is deadly or somehow poisoned. It's not, of course, but she quickly vacates the room nonetheless.

T-shirt and sweats in hand, she peeks her head into the guestroom to find the bed messy, lap top on the dresser and Santana's slippers by the bed. She rests her head against the door frame and sighs because she realizes that Santana has been sleeping in the guestroom since she left. Closing her eyes tightly, she bites on her bottom lip and wills herself away from the wall with force.

Before she steps into the bathroom in the hallway, she remembers she has to grab a towel and then decides on the need for a sweatshirt. There's not a chance she's going into the bedroom again, so she settles for the sweatshirt in the living room. Then, within seconds she's undressing in the steam filled bathroom ready for a nice hot shower.

As she sets her wet clothes on the floor by the corner of the door, she can't help but wonder why she is so chilly. It's June and she's pretty cold and she has goose bumps running up and down her leg. For some reason or another, the rain in New York is freezing and can make the hottest summer day feel like a January night. Just as she is about to remove her under garments, she decides to move her towel from beneath the dry clothes and onto the lid to the toilet seat. So many times she hasn't made that move and upon reaching for her towel while fresh out of the shower, manages to get her dry clothes soaking wet. Not very comfortable.

However, when she holds her palm against the dry clothes to easily tug the towel free from beneath, something interesting catches her attention. Her eyebrows scrunch together and her eyes dart down to where her hand is. She lets go of the towel and reaches to pull the zip up sweatshirt away from the rest of the clothes. She shakes it out and then puts her hand into the pockets to find the offending object that has just hit her in the hip.

When she pulls out her hand, her eyes widen and her mouth falls open. Her other hand flies to cover her mouth as a small gasp escapes and she stumbles backwards onto her wet clothes.

* * *

><p>"Rachel!" Quinn comes flying through the door to their apartment, tosses her bag and umbrella haphazardly onto the couch and moves fiercely down the hall to their bedroom. "You will not believe what I'm about to tell you." She continues, tearing her jacket off and storms into their room, finding her girlfriend sitting up straight with a startled look on her face.<p>

"Oh my God." Rachel moves to the foot of the bed. "Is Barbra in town!?" She gasps moving her hands to her cheeks in excitement at the possibility. Quinn's eyebrows furrow and she jerks her head back.

"No." She answers quickly and Rachel's shoulders instantly fall.

"Brittany's back." She tosses out.

"Ugh, yeah." Quinn replies with a tilt of her head as she moves towards the chair by the desk to rest her jacket. "How'd you…?" Before she can finish the question, Rachel shakes her cell phone in the air at her.

"Kurt." Quinn nods, because of course Kurt would send out a warning text for the arrival of Brittany.

"I'm assuming that was the big news?" Rachel suggests that Brittany's return is what made her girlfriend come running through their apartment like a crazy woman on a mission.

"Yes." Quinn spits out quickly but then shakes her head and moves to stand in front of Rachel. "No." She waves her hands in the air as if to erase her initial response. Rachel's eyes widen and her shoulders tense at her girlfriend's intensity. "I probably shouldn't even been sharing this with anyone." Quinn shakes her head and moves her hands to her face, pressing the tips of her fingers into her closed eyes as though to process it all. "But, I_ have_ to tell _you_." She drops her hands and props them on her hips.

"Are you going to…?"

"Santana bought an engagement ring!" Quinn blurts out. Rachel's eyes widen and her mouth falls open.

* * *

><p>"<em>Oh<em>…" Brittany breathes out and her thumb presses into the tiny clasp that is keeping the box closed.

She blinks a few times, licks her lips and moves to sit on the lid of the toilet. Her elbows rest on the tops of her knees and she holds the box out in front of her, just staring at it. Surely she must be dreaming. This cannot be real life. She contemplates pinching herself, but the chill still running rampant through her toes lets her know she is in the here and now.

Tilting the box from side to side, she contemplates opening it just to see if it is actually what she thinks. But, she can't find it in her to move the clasp and lift the lid of the small, black box. Her lips twist and she moves one of her hands from the box to her mouth where her fingers drum against her lips.

She must have been gawking at this tiny wooden box for a while, because the next thing she knows there's a knock at the bathroom door. Her head shoots up towards the door and she almost drops the box to the tile floor.

"Foods ready when you are." Santana shouts through the door so Brittany would be able to hear her if she were in the shower. But she's not in the shower and she panics.

"Oh," Brittany calls back, setting the ring back onto the clothes and pulls her underwear and bra off. "Be right out." She says just before jumping into the shower, only feeling like she's sweating now under the hot water. That chill is so very gone now.

Santana's head spins around quickly when she hears those familiar footsteps coming towards her from down the hall. She inwardly smirks when she takes notice of her slippers snuggly on Brittany's feet and fully turns in her spot on the couch, keeping the tips of her fingers against her lips.

"My feet were cold." Brittany tells her in a small voice, noticing Santana looking at her shoes. "I hope you don't mind." Santana shakes her head and finally pulls her hand away from her mouth.

"Pizza's cold." She comments and pushes herself up from the couch to head into the kitchen where the pizza is sitting in the oven.

"Sorry." Brittany says, taking some more steps into the living room and plays with the throw blanket.

"It's okay. It'll only take a few minutes to reheat." Santana assures her with a wave of her hand and turns the dial up to preheat the oven.

"Can we…" Brittany speaks up a little louder and shifts awkwardly under Santana's gaze. "Can we talk first." She motions towards the couch, hoping to clear some air before they fall into a silence brought on by the consumption of food that often happens. Plus, at this moment, her stomach is too busy doing flips to think of any food.

"Uh," She glances quickly at the dial to make sure it's at the desired temperature. "Sure."

On her way to meet Brittany in the living room, she grabs a spare hair tie sitting on the counter top. She figures keeping her hands busy putting her hair up for the those five seconds might not show how nervous she is right now. By the time she gets to her spot in the corner of the couch, her hair is already up in a ponytail and she inwardly groans at how lame she is sometimes.

* * *

><p>"Wait," Rachel holds her hand up and closes her eyes as though processing everything is made easier this way. "Santana is proposing?!" She asks in haste and complete confusion.<p>

"Well," Quinn stops herself, realizing she is still using her outside voice and drops her hands to her thighs. "_No_." Her hands find her hips again like she's annoyed about this whole story.

"So, Santana has an engagement ring, Brittany's back, but there's no proposing going on?" Rachel recounts the details of the story with uncertainty.

"Excatly." Quinn points at her girlfriend like she's just answered all of her universal questions and she turns her body to fall down to the bed beside her.

"Wait a second." Rachel turns to look over at Quinn who is lying face down on the bed. "If Santana isn't proposing then how the hell do you know she has a ring?" She asks in this maintained state of confusion. Quinn huffs and moves her head so her cheek is resting against the comforter and so she can look up at Rachel.

"I was rummaging through her things, as I so often do, and I stumbled upon this box which I obviously opened and inside was this ring." She rambles and after a beat and a perplexed stare from Rachel she rolls her eyes and moves to rest onto her side. "She showed it to me." She playfully pushes her hand into Rachel's shoulder and chuckles.

"Was she planning on going to Lima?" Rachel tentatively asks. Quinn sucks in her bottom lip and gives the question a thought.

"I don't think so." She settles on because she really thinks there was no plan for that trip. But, then again, she never really imagined Santana to have a ring like the one she had at only twenty one years old. "I think if she was gonna go, she would have been there before Brittany even landed in Ohio." She comments as an afterthought. Rachel nods because that much would be very true. "Maybe somewhere deep down, she kind of knew Brittany would be back." Quinn shrugs her shoulders and shakes her head to herself. "We'll never know the inner workings of their world." Rachel nods in agreement and finally lets her body fall to the bed next to Quinn.

* * *

><p>Brittany and Santana sit on the couch, a few feet between them, and nervous hands fidgeting around them. Santana's fingers twirl strings and frayed bits of pillow around and around. Brittany's hands dig deep into the pockets of the hoodie, one wrapped around the black box that is beginning to make her body grow hotter than the shower was.<p>

She clears her throat, trying to loosen her grip on the box and shifts her feet from underneath her. Santana watches the little movements in Brittany's body, unsure how to react with her own body. She isn't sure if she's still allowed to look at her like this or if she should look away or close her eyes. All of this feels awkward and uncomfortable and forced.

"I…" Santana tries to break the weird silence between them, but Brittany jumps in before she can even finish the thought and make it into a sentence.

"This isn't working." Brittany blurts out. Santana's eyes widen and her body goes from rigid to slouched in disappointment within seconds.

"Britt," Santana looks down at her hands in her lap and licks her lips before glancing back over at Brittany with sad eyes. "You already broke up with me and it hurt like hell the first time. Please, I'm begging you." Santana interrupts and shakes her head.

"Just listen, okay?" Brittany says with a little force, catching Santana's attention. "_This_," She moves her hands around as though 'this' is something she is holding. "Being broken up isn't working for me." Santana tilts her head. "I was wrong." Brittany admits with her head hung low and watches the way her fingers pick at one another. "I… I shouldn't have just left like that. You didn't deserve that." She lifts her gaze up to meet Santana's that are glassy and waiting.

"But, I get why you did." Santana shakes her head and reaches for her arm but Brittany pulls away from her. "I don't blame you Brittany." She assures her in a gentle voice, pulling her hand back to set on her lap. "Do you still want to be with me?" She nervously asks, once again picking up on twisting the strings of the pillow around her finger.

"Of course I do." Brittany replies almost instantly, reaching out for her hand. Santana opens her mouth to speak, but Brittany squeezes her hand and shakes her head. "No, please. Let me finish." Brittany begs. "I know that we've been dating since high school and that this is both our first real relationship. But, I also know that I don't want to know anything else. I want and need us to be together. I miss waking up to you and watching you watch me blink the sleep out of my eyes." She smiles when Santana finally smiles. "I miss your arm under my pillow, even though sometimes it's uncomfortable and I wake up with a sore neck." Santana breathes out a chuckle and shakes her head. "I miss…" She glances down, head sideways as tears begin to cloud her vision. "I miss the girl… the woman who is not as scared as she thinks she is. I miss the woman who bought this." Brittany pulls her hand from the pocket of the hoodie and opens her fist.

Santana's jaw drops and her eyes grow wide and she stares un-expectantly at the tiny black box in Brittany's hand. She'd completely forgotten she'd left that box in her hoodie pocket and thought nothing of it when Brittany came out wearing said hoodie. But, all of those tiny details are not that important right now. The focus is Brittany found it. She's seen Santana's one and only secret.

"Did…" Santana stumbles over her words and shakes her head numbly. "Did you open it?" She asks in a shaky voice, though she tries to mask it with confidence that Brittany can always see right through anyway. Brittany's eyes go from the box and to meet Santana's gaze. She opens her mouth, but instantly closes it and clears her throat softly and shakes her head. "Oh." Santana breathes out with a mix of relief and curiosity.

"Is it…" Brittany looks back at the box and the way her hand is turning it around. "Is it what I think it is?" Santana lifts her hand to the back of her neck, rubbing the stress and worry from her own body and nods. "Are you…?" She isn't quite sure how to broach the topic of _the_ question. "Were you gonna…?"

How does one ask 'were you gonna propose to me?'?

"I…" Santana starts but then settles for a shake of her head to settle her words better. "Brittany, I was gonna ask you at the beginning of this year." She admits. "But, we were still in school, still so young and we are still both those things." She explains with a sideways glance at the ring. "And now, I keep going over everything and our fight and what I was going to say when I finally saw you. I kept trying to figure out how to make it better." She says, giving the box a quick look. "But, asking you that question doesn't make it better. Even if you said 'yes' it doesn't make our problems go away." Her eyes slowly lift to find Brittany, who is nodding because she knows she is right. Santana sighs and she looks down at the ring Brittany had given her and she smiles tight lipped at it. "One day, I do plan on asking you _that_ question. I can promise you." Brittany smiles bitter sweetly at her and nods in understand and agreement. "Maybe for now, I guess, since you know it exists, you can wear it as a promise ring." Santana offers with a wave of her hand towards the still unopened box, and then twists her own promise ring on her finger.

Brittany looks from Santana to the box she still has a firm grip on. With a deep breath, she shakes her head and places the box gently into Santana's hand.

"I don't want to wear this until you're ready to ask me that question." Brittany explains after a few moments of silence. "But, more importantly," She clears her throat and tucks some stray blonde hair behind her ear. "I don't want to wear it until I'm ready to say 'yes'." Santana nods. She gets it, even if the last part does hurt a little bit and make her sad. "I do, one day," Brittany searches Santana's confused eyes. "Hope you ask me."

Santana tumbles the box between both of her hands for a moment, watching the way her finger tips press against the corners. Her lips twist in thought and memories and she half smiles. Letting the ring box settle into one hand, she places it down onto the coffee table and shoves her hands between her knees.

"I bought this ring when we first moved to New York." Santana starts, breaking away from the quiet that has come over them. "We were in the kitchen at our old apartment and you were doodling our names." She smiles when Brittany does. "I remember thinking, actually, realizing that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I wanted to spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you make me and to love you even when you hate me, because regardless," She grins and blinks away unshed tears. "I will always love you. I haven't been a very good girlfriend and neither have you. But, that part isn't even your fault. It's mine." Brittany tilts her head to the side and glances down at the way Santana's hands nervously push against her thighs.

Hearing Santana say it was all her fault only reminds Brittany of all the things were _her_ fault. She shakes her head, remembering the realizations she'd come to back in Lima and what had prompted her to fly back to New York. Brittany knows that there are way too many things to discuss before settling them. If they were going to continue this partnership, they have to both take responsibility for their short comings.

"On the way here, I kept thinking about how we've never had to try so hard. All of this," She motions between them with her hand. "Us, it always came so easy to us. I mean, I think it still does or it can. I guess what I'm trying to say here is, we've always worked. Even when it seemed like we weren't working. It's like; we didn't know how to try." Brittany's brow furrows and her eyes are desperate to sense any kind of understanding from Santana's. When she gets a nod to continue, she takes in a sharp breath. "I don't want to go through the motions when we have disagreements or fights. I would like to think you don't either. Because, like, can you imagine how incredible we could be if we actually tried? It would be magical. More magical than what we already have. I don't want to start all over again but, I don't want to go back either. Does this make any sense?"

"Kind of." Santana replies honestly. She thinks she gets it, but at the same time, she isn't exactly sure where Brittany is going with this. She kind of feels like an idiot though, because only ten seconds ago she figured they were completely fine. But, then again, she does acknowledge the fact that there is a lot they need to go over before being anything at all.

"Before all of this, I feel like we were comfortable and…" Brittany continues nervously. "I want more than that. I know that, this relationship, for me, it's it. _The one_. I don't feel like there's anyone else out there for me. _You're_ my one and only. I've _always _known that. I don't question your loyalty or even your faithfulness, even though you tested the lines." Santana lowers her head in embarrassment and guilt. It's true and she isn't surprised that Brittany would bring up her indiscretions. It's why they are where they are. "I don't want to be broken up anymore, but," Brittany starts again, slowly. "I feel like we're at a standstill right now. I can't just dive back into this, us, and not be weary. I know nothing happened, I guess that much hasn't been the point. Our trust was compromised and you let that happen. I feel like I'd be foolish to take you back so quickly."

"What exactly are you trying to say here, Brittany?" Santana interjects, without a doubt confused by Brittany's round and round mini speech.

"I know our love for one another is limitless. But, I feel like we need to build more to this relationship. Sure, I can forgive you right here and now, but that's really not important because they're just words. I still love you just the same. Maybe more." Brittany twiddles her thumbs uncomfortably. Words are real hard sometimes. "But, I was so mad at you because you made me see all of the cracks we had before any of this happened. This isn't just about you and everything that happened. It didn't help much, but, I realized how horrible I have been to you. I'm sorry." Brittany apologizes getting a perplexed and sad look out of Santana. She reaches down for Santana's hand and lets out a long sigh through her nose. "We weren't as perfect as I thought we were. I know that's a tall order because no one is perfect, but, when it comes to us, I feel like it's something that can happen. We love one another too much to settle for anything less than that." She explains in a voice that tells Santana she is fighting off tears. "I need _more of everything_. I need more communication even about the boring things. I need more kisses and hugs and little 'just 'cause' touches. I need more 'I love you's' and more alone time. I want pillow talk and dirtier talk in bed. People say good relationships are easy and last because they don't have to work at it. Well, I want us to work at it because I want a great relationship. I don't want us just to be fine, I want us to be amazing." She rests her head against the back of the couch and looks at Santana through the tears that have built up. They squeeze one another's hands and Santana's body finally listens to her and shifts closer to Brittany's.

"I want amazing too." Santana whispers, but it's a confident whisper and it makes Brittany's heart feel a lot warmer in her chest than it has in a while. She lets out a breath of relief and moves her head against the couch towards Santana's. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." Brittany reminds Santana that she too has things to apologize for because this is once again a two way street.

"So where does this leave us? Or bring us?" Santana asks after some silent seconds, realizing she isn't sure what this means for them. "Where are we?"

"Where do _you_ want to be?" Brittany asks easily.

"With you." She answers without missing a beat and it brings an instant smile to Brittany's lips.

"Good, 'cause _I_ want to be with _you_." Brittany agrees with a nod, but she can tell from Santana's expression that she needs a little bit more information than the obvious. "Like I said before, I don't want to start over again." She shrugs her shoulders and looks down at their connected hands. "We have too much history. We've already built and created so much together to just start from scratch." Her head shakes from side to side at the thought of a new beginning, because as appealing as the idea is, it sounds sad and strange. "We already have this… what's that thing that things build up from? Like, a building?" She motions with her free hand.

"Umm, foundation?" Santana chances and is relieved when Brittany nods with a big smile.

"Yes. We already have a foundation. We don't need a new one." She continues on her response to where they are going to be in their relationship. But, as she searches for words her smile fades, only a bit though. "But the way we were going wasn't working." Santana takes a look at their hands now, nodding because Brittany is right. "Can we just… stop being apart right now? I need to know we are an 'us' again because, it just makes me think better. And I can't figure out what we are if we are still in…" She waves her hand in the air, unable to find words to explain herself. Santana smiles gently and tucks some blonde hair behind her ear.

She can tell by the looks she saw on Santana's face that her ability to accept some of the responsibility for everything is greatly appreciated. And for that, she appreciates Santana just a little bit more. Her eyes flitter to the box that has brought up so much more than she had anticipated and she chuckles through some of the tears that have trickled down her cheeks. Santana shifts her head and gives her a curious look.

"Are you laughing?" She asks with a small smirk. Brittany shakes her head and holds her hand up as though to ask for a moment.

"Not really." Brittany answers but the tiny giggle that comes out with her words says otherwise. "It's just…" She looks long and hard at Santana, having a tiny debate in her head before she finally gives in and pushes herself up from the couch.

"What are you doing?" Santana questions and watches as Brittany moves from the couch and over towards her bag where she unzips the front pouch and retrieves something.

"I was at the airport, waiting for my flight." Brittany starts, and slowly walks back to the couch. Santana can tell she's nervous by the way her hands are behind her back and how her throat visibly moves up and down as she swallows. "And I was thinking about the last time I was in Lima without you." Her eyes fall to Santana's and she slinks back onto the couch over the arm rest.

"Christmas, freshman year." Santana recalls and smiles at the surprise that she came home to. Brittany nods and sits on the heels of her feet. Ever so slowly, she pulls her hands from behind her and Santana's notices her fists are loosely closed.

"I think we need to make new promises to one another." Brittany says and opens her hand to reveal a small silver ring with a knot tied up in the middle. It is nothing extravagant, but it's the thought behind it that makes it so. Santana moves to her knees and finds those blue eyes, searching them for all the answers to the questions she isn't even asking. Brittany sheepishly smiles through unshed tears and gently nods her head up and down as she opens her other hand to reveal a second, but identical, ring and offers it to Santana. "I know they're nothing crazy, they're just airport jewelry but…"

"They're perfect." Santana quickly interrupts getting a smile from Brittany.

"This isn't exactly the next piece of jewelry I planned on slipping on your finger." She admits quietly, lifting the ring to Santana's right hand ring finger.

"Me neither." Santana breathes out nervously, flashing a timid smile at Brittany. "But," She swallows hard. "It will do." She offers with a slight shrug of her shoulders and they smile at one another.

"Santana," Brittany squeaks out. "I promise myself to you and only you." She whispers gently, quickly looking at the way her fingers push the ring on Santana's. "I love you. Sometimes feelings and words get lost in translation. But, I love you in every sense of the way and then some." She nervously bites on her bottom lip and fixes the ring that now sits at the base of Santana's finger. "I promise to keep the lines of communication open so that nothing is ever lost between us. I don't ever want to lose those little details that make us great ever again."

"Brittany," They both smile and Santana lifts the other ring to Brittany's finger. "I love you. But sometimes, it feels like saying those words don't really do us justice. You know me better than I know myself. It's one of my favorite things about us. Life is hard and nothing is perfect, but, with you none of that really seems to matter much." She pushes the ring down to the base of Brittany's finger and quickly wipes a fallen tear from the corner of her eye. "I promise myself to you and only you."


	34. Chapter 34

"I promise myself to you and only you." Santana runs her thumb over the knot in the middle of the ring that now sits on Brittany's finger. She grins and lifts her gaze up to find Brittany smiling back at her. "I know that this doesn't exactly fix everything." She says, her eyes looking deeply into both blues locked into her. Brittany sucks in her lips, smile still there, and shakes her head in understanding and agreement. "I never want you to feel like I'm not thinking about you, because that's all I do." She explains in a low and extra raspy voice. "I can't go one second without thinking about you." Brittany smirks and pulls her hand back from Santana, only to lace their fingers together and set them on her lap. "I can't tell you how horrible I feel for making you question me." Brittany's eyes fall to their clasped hands on her leg and she covers them with her other hand.

"Santana," She starts. "You were right before when you said I hadn't been a very good girlfriend." Her eyes move to find Santana's staring right back at her with curiosity. "But, you're wrong in thinking it was all your fault. _I just left_." She shakes her head at herself and brings the heel of her palm to rub away some tears that have trickled their way out of her eye. "Instead of fighting for us, I fought against you." Brittany sniffles a bit and wipes under her nose with the sleeve of Santana's hoodie she's wearing.

"I hadn't been very trustworthy, Britt." Santana admits, hanging her head in shame and because she can't bear it seeing tears in Brittany's eyes. "I don't really blame you."

"When I say we need better communication," Brittany continues through a short cough from emotion. "I _really_ mean it." Her eyes focus deeply into Santana's. "It wasn't just you keeping things from me, but, I feel like I wasn't exactly expressing myself the right way." She clears her throat, shuffles closer so that their knees are touching and drops her hand down to once again cover their clasped hands.

"But, you shouldn't have even had to." Santana defends, hoping to put an end to all of the tears tonight. It should be a happy homecoming and reunion. "Not only should I have listened to you, but I should have known better." With her free hand she rubs her palm into her forehead as though to clear her thoughts and get rid of the pain of their problems, even if they are on the mending road. "Do I like that you left?" She throws out the question between them as thought really. "No." She shakes her head and drops her other hand to come down onto Brittany's that is covering their clasped hands. "I mean, how are we supposed to grow if we don't do it together?" Instantly she rolls her eyes at herself. Those aren't exactly the words she meant to use, but Brittany remains quiet because she can tell that much. "What I mean to say is," She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "I don't want personal problems to be just personal." She carefully explains, watching her words sink into Brittany. But, when Brittany twists her lips trying to decipher everything, she continues. "Work, family, friends, classes, cramps and everything else, I want it all to be _our_ problems." She tilts her head to the side and nervously scrunches her eyebrows waiting for a sign of understanding come from Brittany. At the corner of her mouth, Brittany allows a small smile to form on her lips and she blinks a few times, letting her eyes fall down to the rings on their fingers. "Your sadness is my sadness and your joy is mine too." She adds, dipping her head to find Brittany's still glistening eyes.

"I'm sorry I never say 'sorry'." Brittany squeaks out, tiny teardrops spill from the corners of her eyes and down her cheeks. The corners of Santana's mouth turn upside down and she lifts her thumb up to wipe the tears away.

"How 'bout we wipe the 'sorry slate' clean?" Santana offers and tucks some of Brittany's hair behind her ear, trying to bring a small assuring smile to her face. Brittany's eyes stay on their hands and she nods, trying to fight off the pout that has taken over her lips. "And," She pulls her other hand from Brittany's and brings it to the other cheek so she is cradling Brittany's face. "Instead of listing the things we are sorry for, we take the time to tell each other why we love one another." She leans her head sideways and waits for a response either physically or verbally. She can see the wheels turning in Brittany's head and how her expression moves little by little.

"I love you so much, Santana." Brittany finally blurts out, bringing her eyes up to look at Santana through her tears. "And I don't think my list of why could ever end, but," She sniffles and wipes her nose once more with her sleeve. "I'm _so_ tired." She chokes out, desperate to keep her tears at bay. Santana sucks in her lips and sniffles as well, shaking her head to dry the tears from her own eyes before they fall.

"Me too." Santana admits in a sad, exhausted voice. Obviously there's no use in pretending to be so strong right now, not when Brittany is finally home. "And I'm kinda hungry." She tells her, looking over towards the kitchen where the cold pizza is still sitting on top of the oven instead of in it. She turns her attention back to Brittany when she hears a tiny giggle.

"I'm sorry I made the pizza get cold." Brittany comments, looking over her shoulder at the kitchen even though she can't really see the pizza from her spot. Santana sighs and quirks her eyebrow.

"No more with the 'I'm sorry'." She reminds with a wave of her finger. "At least, not for something like cold pizza." She winks and pushes herself up from the couch. But, before making her way into the kitchen she feels Brittany's hand on her wrist and she looks down. Brittany gets up on her knees on the couch and sets her hand on Santana's cheek.

"You're so good to me, Santana Lopez." Brittany breathes out and looks into those brown eyes as her thumb grazes the corner of Santana's mouth. Without getting one word out, Santana closes her eyes at the feeling of Brittany's lips on her own and melts in the spot she stands.

It's a soft kiss, a graze of their lips really. It's over before she knows it, but Santana can feel the smile etched on her face because she sees it mirrored on Brittany's. And even through the tear tracks on her girlfriend's cheeks, she can't help but think how beautiful she is. So, she tells her.

"You're so beautiful." Santana whispers, their breath mixing together. Her fingers brush over her cheek and then to move some blonde hair from her face. "I missed you." Brittany's lower lip juts out, not into a full on pout, but just enough to show how sad it is to have to say those words let alone hear them.

"I missed you, too." She replies in a small voice.

They stare into one another's eyes for a few moments longer until Santana's stomach interrupts them with a ravenous growl. They laugh and Santana looks down with embarrassment at her body for interrupting their sweet, homecoming moment. With an approving nod from Brittany to prepare some fuel for their bodies, she slinks into the kitchen to toss a few slices of pizza onto a cookie sheet and into the oven.

Twisting her lips in thought, Santana stands in front of the refrigerator wondering what she wants to drink. She swings the door under her arm as she stands there, tilting her head from side to side. Brittany, still kneeling on the couch, watches with a grin playing on her lips. It feels good to be back; to be home. But, even though she feels relieved to be back in New York and back in the apartment she shared with Santana, it doesn't take away the bit of sadness still in her heart. There have been moments they have missed out on and memories they could have been making over this past month.

"Water?" Santana calls out, thankfully pulling Brittany away from her thoughts. She looks over at Santana who is waving a bottle of water at her from over the open refrigerator door.

"Share?" She asks in return and Santana grins at the usual reply Brittany gives to the same question every time.

Sharing water like they used to do doesn't exactly change everything. Maybe nothing is back to the way it used to be and maybe it never is going to be that way again. But, that's kind of the point. Moving forward and trying to be better doesn't mean erasing all of the good things though. So, it's kind of like they are starting over at each bad step they have taken. Like a redo, because nothing is unfixable.

"Can you make me another promise?" Santana asks as she walks back towards the couch and her shoulders slump at the way Brittany falls into the couch, nervously awaiting the request. Santana clears her throat and takes a seat on the coffee table across from where Brittany is sitting on the couch. "And I will promise you the same thing." She adds as an afterthought. Brittany nods for her to continue. "I'm not naive enough to believe that we won't ever have disagreements or fights again. We will." She begins in a soft voice. She takes in a breath and lets it out as she sets the bottle of water down onto the coffee table next to her. "Can we promise one another to not resort to leaving?" Santana chews on her bottom lip, shoves her hands between her knees and anxiously bounces her feet up and down on the wooden floor. "Watching you leave," She drops her chin to her chest, not sure if she is staring at her hands between her knees or just distracting herself from breaking down. "Well, I think that was one of the worst moments of my life." She explains, lifting her head up just in time to catch her emotions being put on display across Brittany's face.

"I promise." She says and is quick to catch a tear on the tip of her finger before it trickles away. Santana gently places her hand onto Brittany's knee and squeezes it affectionately.

* * *

><p>After pizza and some television that neither of them is really watching, Santana yawns when she hears Brittany yawn. She looks over and notices how she is rubbing her eye with a loose fist, like the way a child does to try and avoid sleep. Taking the initiative, she grabs the remote from between them and turns it off, leaving the room completely silent. She rests her head on the back of the couch and waits for Brittany to look back at her. When she does, they smile sweetly at one another, sleep very much taking over their bodies.<p>

"I kind of don't know what to do here." Santana admits after a quick glance at the cable box, letting her know its a little past midnight. Her hands toy around with the remote control, flipping and tumbling it around to keep her mind and hands busy.

"Usually, you close your eyes and then sleep just kind of happens." Brittany points out with a cute little smirk that makes Santana playfully roll her eyes. Santana's head drops and her eyes focus on the controller, stilling it between both of her hands and she chews on the insides of her cheeks for a moment. "I think," Brittany continues, not wanting the silence to take over them once again. "One of the things I missed most while I was gone was falling asleep knowing you were there with me." Santana lifts her gaze over in Brittany's direction as if to say, 'really, me too'. "Even before that." She admits regretfully. "I don't think I slept any of those nights I was in the guestroom."

Instead of continuing to discuss what they miss and missed, Santana gets up from the couch, turns to Brittany and holds her hand out. It's a gesture she has probably made to Brittany a billion and one times before. It's not just because she's tired and doesn't feel like going around and around about how they are supposed to be now that Brittany is back. She's also not just offering Brittany her hand, she's offering her so much more than that.

With her hand held out, Santana is offering herself wholly and fully. Maybe she isn't saying the words and for a moment, she contemplates saying them simply because they agreed to be more communicative. But, those words are there in the ring on Brittany's finger. With her hand held out, Santana is saying 'I need you too, in all the same ways that you need me'.

"I can't sleep without you." She says and watches as Brittany places her hand into her own. "I don't want to either."

It's strange, walking through the home they have shared for the past four years with such uncertainty. Everything is the same, except for the walls of their bedroom that they have repainted a few dozen times. It feels like forever since they've slept in there in such a long time that Brittany wonders if the walls are going to look different from the bed than they used to. It's probably a silly thought and something not many other people would worry about. But, it was something she could rely on.

She would come home from wherever and lay in their bed for hours, just thinking. Those walls were strewn with her thoughts and wishes and her dreams. Perhaps she just hopes that all of those things are still there. Upon reaching the door, Santana squeezes her hand and looks back at her to give her a tight lipped smile. When they walk over the threshold, they are both greeted by the smell of their room. It's always smelled the same. Their scent mixed together was absolute perfection.

"I'm just gonna change." Santana breaks the comfortable silence and pulls her hand from Brittany's to point over towards the dresser. She grabs some sweats and a t-shirt, about to toss them onto the bed and strip, only to realize that she hasn't been naked in front of Brittany for a long time. Her brow furrows and she stares at the clothes in her hand. Brittany is sure she understands the hesitation and searches her mind for a perfect response.

"I meant it when I said I didn't want to start over." She says in a sweet voice and moves towards the side of the bed that Santana is standing on. "This," She grabs at the sleeve of the t-shirt that is hanging over Santana's arm and plays with the fabric between her fingers. "It shouldn't be awkward." Santana's eyes flit from the clothes in her arms and over to Brittany. "I'm gonna go grab my toothbrush and brush my teeth." She moves her hand from the shirt and Santana's arm and rubs her thumb over her skin. Santana smiles thankfully and nods.

She watches Brittany turn left down the hall and listens to the way her feet move across the wood of their floor. Her smile widens and she closes her eyes because that sound itself is soothing. That feeling helps her body ease itself out of her clothes and into her pajamas. Inwardly she groans at herself and how she made it more awkward by pointing out the awkwardness. All she was doing was avoiding making things even more awkward.

When she walks into the bathroom, Brittany has just finished brushing her teeth and she puts her toothbrush right beside Santana's. She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and smiles, motioning for Santana to take her turn. For a few moments, they stand there, enjoying one another's company, until Brittany moves towards the door.

"I forgot to call my mom." She admits quickly and points behind her. "I'm just gonna call her quick. She's probably sleeping." She rolls her eyes at herself for forgetting and makes her way down the hall to use the apartment phone.

Brushed teeth and set in her pajamas, Santana steps to her side of the bed and carefully pulls down the comforter, preparing it to be entered. She leans across and tugs at Brittany's pillow, setting it just the way she likes it and then does the same to her own. With a deep breath, she kneels onto the mattress and sets herself down into it comfortably and pulls the covers up to her waist.

Nervously, she laces her fingers together and sets her hands onto her stomach. If she wasn't aware of the butterflies dancing around inside of her stomach yet, well, it was kind of hard to avoid them at this point. She was feeling hot and cold and tingles at the tips of her toes. The corner of her bottom lip finds its way between her teeth as she plays through several different scenes in her mind.

Brittany is still out in the kitchen most likely assuring her mother that all of the traveling went fine and that she is safe and sound. But, there are some unfortunate scenarios that come through as well. Like, perhaps Brittany had told her parents about everything that happened and maybe she is telling her mom that she feels uncomfortable and uncertain now that she's here. Or, maybe she didn't tell her parents the actual truth and made up something lame to avoid the idea of them not liking Santana anymore.

All of this thinking is only adding to her anxiety and the fact that Brittany is finally walking back towards their bedroom. The sound of her bare feet lightly padding their way towards echoes their way through Santana's crazy thoughts and makes her more alert. Almost too alert. She shifts upwards in the bed, eyes focused on the door.

"Sorry 'bout that." Brittany mumbles, equally as nervous, and she leans into the door frame.

"'S'okay." Santana waves the apology away and shifts her position against the headboard so she appears more comfortable than she actually is.

"My mom says 'hi'." Brittany says, finally pulling herself away from the frame of the door but only to stand a few feet away from it. Santana finds her shoulders relax and she lets out a breath she hadn't been aware she's been holding and she smiles. "Is it weird that this feels weird?" She blurts out as she bounces on the balls of her feet and her fingers tug at one another. Santana sadly smirks and looks down at her fingers that are apparently pulling at a pesky string that has been slowly unraveling over the year.

"No." She answers after some thought. "It does." She slaps her hand onto the comforter to stop fidgeting and looks up at Brittany who has taken a few more steps closer to her.

"I feel, like," Brittany starts again and finally she is kneeling onto the bed. "I want to talk some more." She admits, sitting on her knees and resting her hands on her thighs. Santana tilts her head from side to side before nodding in agreement and turning a bit in her spot to face Brittany more.

"Okay," Santana says softly and offers a smile. "What's on your mind?" Brittany's lips twist in thought and she takes in a deep breath before letting it out slowly.

"Why did you keep things from me?" It's the question that's been hovering over them for months. Santana's lips part and her eyes move from Brittany and around the comforter barely covering her body.

"I…" She's thought about this so many times. She's talked to Quinn and Rachel countless times about everything and analyzed her choices over and over again. But, no matter which answer she provided herself or her friends, none of them actually sounded good enough. "I don't know." Santana finally answers and shakes her head. When she looks over at Brittany, she finds her eyes have fallen into her lap. "I was stupid and…" She stops talking when Brittany's eyes shoot up at her.

"Santana," Brittany sighs and carefully removes her hand from her own lap and reaches out to touch Santana's. "No matter what ridiculous thing you do, I'll never think you're stupid." She half smiles and squeezes Santana's hand.

"I know." Santana hangs her head, trying not to get too excited about Brittany touching her or speaking so sweetly to her. She doesn't feel like she deserves any of this. "I just… I didn't want to hurt you." Santana admits quietly, looking at the way her fingers sit beneath the weight of Brittany's.

"But, you did." Brittany breathes out. Her answer isn't even needed because they both know it. Unintended or not, it happened.

"I know, but, I was trying to avoid that." Santana quickly defends. "I thought that if I… Quinn was right, you were right and I was wrong. And you know how I feel about being wrong." Santana starts to choke up and Brittany tilts her head, sending her an empathetic smile. "I realized I had let things get out of control and I was trying to make them right. But,_ really_, I just did _everything so completely wrong_." A tear escapes her eye and she swiftly lifts her hand so her finger can swipe it away. "And," She shakes her head and sniffles. "You were right that you shouldn't have even had to ask me to not see _her_ but I wish that I had. But when I realized all of that shit it was too late." Her lower lip trembles and her eyes finally flicker up to find Brittany's staring right back at her. "Is there any way we can move past this?" Her brow furrows and her nose scrunches as she tries her hardest to fight off tears. Brittany shrugs her shoulders as she lightly shakes her head.

"What do you think I'm doing here?" She says sweetly, bringing her other hand over to cover their clasped ones. "When I was at my parents' house all I could keep thinking about was you. I was wondering what you were doing, who you were with and what you were thinking. I missed being able to just look at you and know." Her legs move from beneath her and she shifts until her back is against the headboard next to Santana's. "But, then I kept thinking about how the fact that we weren't using words and depending on looks wasn't exactly working." Before Santana can look away, Brittany brings her hand up to set her fingers under her chin to hold her gaze. "I _love_ that we don't _always_ need words. It's kind of like we have super powers." She smiles and in turn, Santana smiles. "I just think that we need to use our words better." Santana can't fight the giggle that pops out, even though some tears have trickled down her cheek. "Yeah, I spent _a lot_ of time with Laurie." Brittany rolls her eyes at herself for using a term that is most often used on little children.

"I know what you mean though." Santana nods and looks down at her hand in both of Brittany's. "And," She smirks, lifting her eyes back up to Brittany's. "I like that idea."

"So," Brittany drawls out, letting her fingers move along Santana's skin softly. "I'm pretty sure there's a permanent indent in my parents' living room couch of my ass." They grin at one another and their shoulders shift against the headboard.

"I wore your yellow scarf for two weeks." Santana chuckles, holding up to fingers and Brittany pouts.

"Only two?" Brittany pokes her cheek, instantly getting her hand swatted away. "Umm," She clears her throat and watches her hand come back down to their hands. "I called the studio, to tell them I was coming back and wanted to see if I still had a job." She starts slowly and Santana patiently waits, expecting something not so good. But, then Brittany shyly smiles. "They want me at the studio full time." Santana's grin widens and she gasps, but she's not really that surprised.

"Britt," Santana nudges Brittany's shoulder with a loose fist. "That's great news. When do you start?" She asks, anxious about Brittany's dancing dreams becoming more of a reality since when they first started here.

"Well, that's the thing." She tilts her head from side to side. "After I got that great news, I sorta got maybe better news." She quirks an eyebrow and sends Santana a hopeful look. "Lex was at the studio when I called and she said that I had a lot of mail there." Santana stares back at her in confusion.

"Why's mail getting sent to the studio?" Santana questions curiously.

"Not our regular mail sweetie," Brittany replies instantly and bashfully looks down at the term of endearment that has slipped from her tongue so easily. "I thought it would make sense to have anything related to possible jobs sent to the studio." She shrugs her shoulders. "I mean, this way if I had any questions I could ask the people I work with." Santana nods, understanding that kind of logic.

"Oh, okay."

"Yeah, _so_, apparently there were a few letters addressed to me from a couple of different companies and studios." She continues, getting praises via proud looks from Santana. "There was even one from this agency, right here in New York." Brittany gnaws on her bottom lip, watching the information marinate in Santana's brain.

"What does… what's this mean?" Santana blurts out, patience wearing thin.

"I don't really know." Brittany sighs and runs her fingers through her hair. "I mean, she said she was dying to open it for me, but just when I was about to say 'do it' she had to get back to her class." She twists her lips and her shoulders slump in slight disappointment. "I don't want to get my hopes up."

Santana nods and lets out a long breath she's been holding in. She looks down at their hands, then at Brittany and then at their comforter. Through their relationship there had been so many times where one or both of them hadn't wanted to get their hopes up. But, it seemed, that things always seemed to work out for them in the end. Santana couldn't figure out if it was because the fates were on their side and Brittany wasn't sure if it was due to her normally sunny and optimistic disposition that led to their good fortune. Even taking away the bumps in the road, things ironed themselves out and they both could probably agree that it's because they do it all together.

"No matter what," Santana finally breaks the short silence that has fallen between them and she squeezes Brittany's hand. "If this _is_ an opportunity or if it's something that doesn't work out, it's a step in the right direction for you." She smiles and lifts Brittany's hand to her lips, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. "You're going in first thing tomorrow aren't you?" She laughs and brings their hands back down to her lap.

"Actually," Brittany toys with the ring on Santana's finger she'd given her freshman year of college. "I was hoping we could do breakfast. Ya know, like we used to." She yawns, pulling her hand up to cover her mouth.

"And talk more." Santana finishes, figuring that's where Brittany was inevitably leading to and then she yawns herself. Brittany smiles, nods and shuffles down into the bed until she rests her head down onto her pillow essentially pulling their hands apart.

"Mhmm." Brittany hums out, turning onto her side to watch Santana shift into a laying position as well.

"And because you miss my pancakes." Santana says through another yawn, receiving a giggle in response from the girl beside her.

"Mmm, yeah. That too."

They lie there, on their sides, staring back at one another for the first time in a while. It had been a long time since they've shared a bed and since they have taken the time to stop all the talking and take each other in. Even with all the focus on needing to communicate better, it's inevitable that they will always be able to rely on a simple look. But, since their new focus is on using their words, they do.

"I love you." Santana whispers and slides her hand up between them and sets it onto Brittany's.

"I love you too, Santana."

For a while, they both try to fight off sleep. Eventually though, it takes them over. For the most part, they sleep soundly for the first time in months. But, at three in the morning, Brittany wakes up and nudges Santana in the shoulder.

"Santana." She whispers loudly. "Santana." She repeats, shoving her a bit harder.

"Hmm?" Santana groans and rolls towards Brittany, her eyes nearly popping open almost forgetting that she isn't alone in bed. When her eyes focus, she smiles, remembering that she isn't alone and that Brittany is finally back. "What's up baby?" She asks, but her sleepy eyes render her from seeing the small grin on Brittany's lips.

"Can you put your arm under my pillow?"


	35. Chapter 35

Brittany's eyes flutter open when she feels the late morning sun shining on her face through the curtain. It's too bright at first and she quickly closes her eyes back up. With a groan, she peeks open one eye and looks to the space beside her which is clearly empty. She shifts onto her forearms and reaches a hand over onto Santana's side, only to feel that it's cold. If it wasn't for the scent of fresh pancakes that wafts its way into the bedroom, the moan that escapes her lips would have been a rather disappointed one.

With a grin, Brittany tosses the blankets off of her and swings her legs to bring her feet to the ground. She lets the smell of deliciousness be her guide, following the sweet scent of breakfast cooking in the kitchen. Her feet shuffle their way down the hall against the hardwood floor, letting in on the fact that she is awake be known.

As she reaches the end of the hall she leans her shoulder against the wall where the kitchen starts. She smirks because Santana is standing in the kitchen, still in her pajamas, spatula in hand and one of Brittany's aprons on. Before she can say hi, Santana looks over her shoulder and crinkles her nose cutely over at her.

"Smells amazing in here." Brittany comments as she pushes herself away from the wall. Her arms cross over her stomach, not because she's starving or anything, but because there is still this invisible line of weird separating the two of them. Normally, she would walk up behind Santana and wrap her arms around _her_ stomach instead. But, rather than doing what her body desperately wants to do, she forces herself towards a chair and kneels down to it. "Do you need any help?" Santana pulls the pan from the stove top, carries it over towards the table and flops two pancakes into each plate.

"All done." She says with a quick wink. "You always know just when to wake up." She notes, bumping her hip affectionately into Brittany's shoulder while she makes her way back towards the stove.

"Because I love food." Brittany chants like a little kid and claps her hands garnering a giggle out of Santana.

"That's good, 'cause I heard that food has a total crush on you." Santana jokes back, instantly rolling her eyes at her lame attempt at morning banter. "Uhh," She clears her throat, unties the apron and pulls it over her head and sets it down onto the counter. "Coffee or juice?" She asks, even though she already knows the answer and reaches for two coffee mugs and a glass.

"Both." Brittany tells her and adjusts in her chair so that her feet are on the ground and not under her butt. Upon hearing the clanks of the cups hitting against each other, she looks up from her yummy looking plate of pancakes to find Santana juggling two coffees and a glass of juice. "Here, give me…" Brittany reaches her hands out to take the juice, but Santana simply shakes her head and lets out a quick 'uh uh'.

"I do this at work every day, Britt." Something Santana and Quinn always say when anyone tries to help them with stacks of plates and millions of cups to carry. "Sugar or syrup?" After she puts the cups down, she holds the sugar in one hand and the syrup in the other. Once again, already knowing that Brittany is probably going to take both, which she does.

Santana smirks at the way Brittany coats her pancakes in a thin layer of butter, sprinkles some sugar over the small stack and then tops it off with a generous layer of syrup. It's the same routine every other time they've had pancakes before. Her eyes fall to her plate, comforted by the fact that some things won't ever change.

"Mmm," Brittany moans out, mouth full of pancakes and she covers her mouth. "These are really the best." She hums, pointing her fork down at her plate.

"Thanks." Santana cuts into her pancakes, ready to take part in the fun yum party that her pancakes apparently are. "So," She finishes chewing her bite and swallows. "How'd you sleep?" She's been wondering since she started making breakfast. Surely last night's sleep is the best she's had in a very long time.

"Good." Brittany nods all the while continuing to enjoy her food. "You?" She looks up from her food.

"Same." They smile at one another for a moment before diving back into their food. But, the comfortable silence only lasts so long.

"Actually," Brittany is the one who breaks it and taps her fork nervously against her plate. "I slept _great_."

"Yeah." Santana agrees, almost instantly. "Me too." She shyly lifts her gaze once more from her plate. "Umm," She clears her throat and shifts in her chair. "Did you wanna go to the studio after breakfast?" Santana offers, adjusting her pancake slices around with her fork.

"Oh." Brittany tilts her head from side to side and Santana can see the tiny hint of uncertainty in those blue eyes.

"What's wrong?" Santana worriedly looks down at the food and then at the juice. "Is there pulp? I could have sworn I picked up pulp free." She turns her head towards the carton of orange juice sitting on the counter next to the refrigerator instead of in it.

"No." Brittany chuckles, waving that thought away. "No pulp." Santana lets out a breath as though the future of their relationship would have actually been decided on the possibility of pulp being in the juice. "I'm just… as anxious as I am to find out whether or not everything I've worked so hard for is further on its way to becoming a reality, I kind of want to spend the day with you." She bites on her lower lip softly and shrugs her shoulders. Santana can't help but smile because Brittany is just so darn cute sometimes.

"You're sweet." She reaches across the table, offering her hand to Brittany which is gladly accepted. "And I would love to spend the entire day with you, but," She gives her food a sad look before sending that look to Brittany. "I have work tonight."

Brittany mouths an 'oh' and nods her head a few times before trying to fall back into that comfortable silence as well as her pancakes. Santana follows suit and slowly digs back in to the rest of her small stack, every now and again taking small sips of coffee.

"I mean," Santana starts again. "I could call out?" She offers even though she knows Brittany would never ask her to do that and wouldn't want her to do that either.

"No, it's okay." Brittany waves the suggestion away and smiles at her, appreciating the idea. "Are you closing?" She asks after realizing she is going to have to keep herself busy for a good part of the evening.

"I'm pretty sure even if I was, I could get Quinn to switch."

"So, not closing?" Brittany once again smiles when Santana shakes her head. "Okay, cool."

After a nice breakfast the two chat about everything except what they are probably supposed to talk about. But, it's a nice break from all of the inner tension and the regular kind of tension that sat right in the middle of the kitchen right along with them. They simply enjoy one another's company, which is something neither of them has been able to do in a long time.

Brittany cleans up, even though Santana tries to take the reins on that one. She explains that it's only fair that since Santana cooked, she should do the dishes. Eventually, they opt for one cleaning and the other in charge of drying.

"You know," Brittany says as she hands a plate over to Santana for the drying portion of their agreement. "We do have a dishwasher." She nods her head in the direction of said dishwasher and Santana regards it with a quick glance.

"Eh," She shrugs her shoulders and continues to towel dry the plate in her hand. "I like doing it this way." She smiles at Brittany as sets down the plate once it's water free.

"Yeah, it's kinda relaxing." Brittany muses, handing over another plate. "Plus," She continues and rinses the rest of the soap off of a bowl. "I like you close to me." She bumps her hip into Santana's who can't help but giggle.

"Me too." She grins and greedily accepts the bowl that Brittany hands to her.

It's probably silly to wash dishes by hand when there's a perfectly good dishwasher in the same room. Silly or not, both of them can appreciate the alone time something so simple can give them. It's only fifteen or twenty minutes of their time, but that's the most important part in that it's their time.

When they're done, Santana excuses herself to take a shower and once again leaves Brittany alone to her own devices. The last time she was by herself in the apartment, since her return, was when she found the ring. Well, she didn't exactly _find_ the _ring_; she found what was holding the ring. Regardless, when she walks into the living room she spots that little black box still sitting on the coffee table.

For a few minutes she just stands behind the couch, leaning her hands on the back of it and stares down at the box. She chews on her bottom lip and shifts from foot to foot. Of course she wants to look inside. Curiosity is not lost on Brittany. But, she didn't look at it when she first found it and told Santana she hadn't seen it, so, peeking now would not be a very good idea.

Surely Santana would understand how could she not? In fact Santana even suggested Brittany wear said ring upon finding it. Even with that though, it wouldn't be right especially with Santana away in the other room. Brittany shakes her head, this is foolish. Of course she can't look inside that box. As much as she wants to, she equally doesn't want to.

She pushes herself away from the back of the couch and slowly walks around to the front, even closer to the ring. Her body falls comfortably onto the cushions and she grabs at one of the pillows, tugging it close to her chest. Brittany sets her chin to the pillow and sighs, her focus still on the little black box.

Santana had said that she bought this freshman year and she wonders how nervous she's been keeping it hidden this whole time. Was it somewhere super secret or was it somewhere so obvious that it happened to be the perfect place? Santana had said that she was going to ask at the beginning of this year. Was there a speech? Were there plans? Was there romance, flowers, candles and music? Did she have some beautiful night or day planned out?

But, as she thinks about all of these what's and where's and when's, she knows that she was right with what she said. She isn't ready, especially not after everything that has transpired. Cleary, Santana isn't ready either or she would have asked back in September or October or whenever she was thinking about doing it. The only problem is, is that it's here. It's kind of like the elephant in the room.

Brittany had tried to keep that door open, well, not open but at least unlocked by saying she's not ready to say 'yes' and that Santana isn't ready to ask. It's out there that the question wants to be asked by both sides. But, the issue for Brittany is… what now?

"Hey Britt, how about…" Santana comes into the living room to find Brittany sitting on the couch, no television on, with the ring box in her hand. "Uhh, what… what are you doin'?" She asks with wide eyes, her feet slowly taking her way to the side of the couch. Brittany clears her throat, holds the box out towards Santana to show her, and shifts uncomfortably in her seat on the couch.

"I was just," Brittany stammers and brings the box back to her lap to hold it with both hands. "I guess I was… I don't know." She shakes her head and swiftly leans forward to set the ring box back to the coffee table. Santana looks from the box to Brittany a few times before finally letting out a long breath.

"Okay." Santana drawls out, finally moving herself to take a seat beside Brittany. "Umm," She pats her thighs and rests her feet on the edge of the coffee table. "It really blows that you know about _this_." Santana sighs and motions towards the black box wielding elephant in the room. Brittany of course tilts her head, sucks in a pout and tucks her hands under her chin with her eyes focused on the ring box once again. "I mean, now it's all ruined." Santana waves her hand in a huff and crosses her arms over her chest.

"Santana," Brittany turns her attention back to the girl beside her. "Nothing is ruined." She smiles and shrugs her shoulders before setting a gentle hand on her girlfriend's arm. "It's just, _different_." Santana glances down at the small touch of affection and half smiles. "We just… need to work around it." Brittany suggests, instantly catching a perplexed and offended look from Santana.

"Around it?" Santana blurts out and Brittany quickly regrets her choice of words.

"I mean," She hands her head and slides her hand down Santana's arm to grip her hand. "What I meant was that we can't pretend it doesn't exist." She tries to backtrack, but fails because she isn't the best at explaining not with words anyway. Santana looks long and hard at Brittany, then over at the ring, takes a deep breath and then looks back at Brittany.

"It's just that the surprise factor is completely taken away." Santana defends her feeling of everything that comes along with this ring being ruined. "Now, it's out there and one day we are going to be all 'hey, I guess it's time let's do this'." She shakes her head and runs her fingers through her slightly damp hair. "It's totally the opposite of romantic."

"Are you kidding me?" Brittany scoffs. "Santana, you have been holding on to this ring for the past four years." She motions with both hands towards the coffee table to emphasize her point. "How you even paid for it I…" She jerks her head back and sends her girlfriend an inquisitive stare, but then waves it off because that's a conversation for another day. "Do you know how romantic it is that eighteen year old you went out and bought an enga… a ring because you knew you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me?" She searches Santana's eyes, hoping that this rant will show her how amazing and obviously romantic it still is. "In a way I'm kind of happy to know this is here." She looks back down at the box. "Because now I know it isn't just me who sees that."

"Sees what?"

"Our future." They smile at one another, trying not to notice their eyes flicker down to each other's lips every couple of seconds. "I have an idea." Brittany whispers. "I think one of the scariest parts of figuring out a proposal is that tiny fear that the person is going to say 'no'. Or that even the person asking isn't exactly ready but does it anyway."

"What's the plan Britt? 'Cause the prologue is kind of depressing."

"What if," She leans forward and grabs the box. "I'm in charge of _this_ for right now." Santana quirks an eyebrow and nervously gnaws on her bottom lip. "I'll hold on to it, keep it in my side table so that when I'm ready for you to… ask me, I'll put it somewhere out in the open." Santana nods, showing she's listening. "And then," Brittany smiles and claps her hands before placing them on her lap. "It's all up to you again." Seeing that Santana is confused by her idea, she contemplates a different way of putting it. "We can still make it romantic and surprising and it will be easier for you to know when I'm ready this way. Plus, I won't know when you'll do it." She grins and watches everything sort its way out in Santana's mind.

"So," Santana lets out slowly, dipping her head down but maintains eye contact with Brittany. "It'll kinda be like you asking me too." She smirks and shuffles her body a little bit closer to Brittany's.

"Yeah, I guess so." Brittany cannot not smile. She's definitely considered who would ask who and had even imagined the perfect way to propose to Santana. But, even with this ring and the ball in Santana's court so to speak, she still sort of gets that opportunity in a different kind of way. "So?"

"I mean," Santana bobs her head from side to side, eventually turning it into a nod. "I guess that's a pretty good plan."

It was settled then and the plan was now in effect. Sure, it doesn't take away all of the stress that this ring can potentially and already caused, but it helped knowing it wasn't necessarily going to run everything. Together, they walk into their bedroom and Santana watches Brittany place the box into the drawer of her bedside table. In a way, it's kind of exciting that Brittany has this kind of power and that Santana gets the chance to be surprised even if only by the very ring that she herself bought.

With the drawer closed, Brittany turns to Santana and gently places her hands on her hips. She steps that last bit closer and sighs out a smile when Santana's hands come up to her shoulders. Her eyes fall and somehow land right on the ring she'd given to Santana Christmas of freshman year.

"One day, right?" She breathes out. Santana looks down at her hand, following Brittany's line of vision, and wriggles her finger against her arm.

Instead of saying anything back, her lips move to Brittany's in one swift motion as though their mouths were magnets. Brittany gasps at the feeling, but is quick to give in to the touch and pushes her lips into Santana's. Last night they had kissed and it was soft and sweet and short. They'd kissed before Brittany had left a month ago, but it was angry and sad and desperate.

This kiss is different and like all of the ones they'd had when things were great between them. Only, this one was a little better, with only a little bit of tongue. It tastes like future and love and forgiveness. It feels like home and promises. It's not a kiss that leads them closer to the bed, but one that leads them closer to each other. When Brittany pulls back they both hum out in approval and appreciation. Santana's hands slide up from Brittany's arms to her neck, letting her thumbs graze the skin just below her hairline.

It's only then, with the creeping of silence and the knowledge that they're in a tight embrace, that they take notice to the bed behind Santana. The idea of sex isn't exactly at the top of the list of their homecoming, but, it's also not at the bottom either. Of course make up sex had flooded through their minds all through the night when they were sharing a bed for the first time in months. But both of them know that sex isn't something they should jump into. Not yet anyway.

"Uh," Santana struggles to breathe out and tears her eyes from Brittany's. "Did you want me to come with you to the studio?" She leans back in Brittany's arms, hoping that by creating some space between their bodies will slow down her heart rate.

"Actually, I figured I would go in while you were at work." Brittany explains, her fingers playing with the fabric of Santana's shirt. "I don't want to be going through all my mail, catching up with everyone at work and have you just stand there." She reasons.

So with that decided, the rest of the morning and early afternoon going food shopping. Then, instead of bringing their sheets and comforter to the dry cleaners the couple decides it's time for new bedding. They figure it is a good start to some of the 'new' they want to bring into their life. Plus, their comforter is kind of falling apart at the seams; literally. What is first thought to be a day filled with nerves and uncertainty is taken over by sweet touches, hand holding and small talk. It is nice because even the small talk is laced with some of the big topics but without the stress and nausea.

On their way back to the apartment, new bedding in tow, Brittany offers to walk Santana to work which of course is accepted. They discuss if they should repaint their bedroom now that they have new blankets and sheets, that perhaps it would be fun to create a new atmosphere. But, after a very short silence as they both contemplate, Brittany and Santana laugh it off because paint isn't going to fix or change a thing.

"Wait, hold on." Brittany says, holding a finger up and pulls her hand from Santana's. She vanishes for a moment in a corner store only to emerge with a single rose in her hand. Santana can't help but smile widely when Brittany offers it out to her. "For you."

"Aww, Britt." Santana bashfully accepts the rose, instantly bringing it to her nose to take in its luscious scent. "A ring," She flashes the new silver ring on her right hand. "Well, two really." She playfully rolls her eyes and lifts her left hand and Brittany breathes out a small giggle. "A rose." Her head shakes and she sighs, looking from the rose to Brittany. "I don't have anything for you, except for a black box that's in your side table that's off limits for the time being and a comforter." She points to the giant bag in her hand holding their new blanket. Instead of pointing out that Santana has everything to offer her, Brittany steps closer to her, sets her hand on her cheek and slowly leans in.

"Well, then I'll have to settle for a kiss." She whispers onto Santana's lips before closing the gap between them.

* * *

><p>Santana pushes through the front doors of Nelson's, apron hanging over her arm, book in hand and her hair moving in the wind her speed is creating. Quinn arches an eyebrow and smirks at the state of her friend. Her cheeks are a bit flushed, there's a tiny twinkle in her eye and she keeps sucking her lips in and out of her mouth, a tell tale sign that there has been some kissing.<p>

"Everything." Quinn demands with a beckoning finger. "Go." Santana rushes into the kitchen, tying her apron behind her back.

"Brittany's back." She blurts out, still surprised at the events of the last twenty four hours. Quinn nods, watching her friend hurriedly tie her hair up in its usual Nelson's ponytail.

"Yeah, I know." If it wasn't so serious a situation or that intriguing then Quinn would be laughing right now.

"Brittany's back." Santana repeats as she tightens her pony and then fixes the collar of her shirt.

"_Are you guys back_?" Quinn curiously prods and leans her elbows on the counter top by the soda station where they always do their work banter and gossip. Of course this is the question she asks. Santana isn't surprised and Quinn isn't even worried about being so forward.

"Well," Santana sighs while she sets her pens on her apron. "We slept together last night."

"_Santana!_" Quinn shouts, jumps up from her leaning position and slaps Santana in the arm. A few of their co-workers send them odd looks, but eventually get back to their job because it's Santana and Quinn and they were always getting a bit loud. "_Santana_." She repeats in a hushed tone. "I can't believe you guys had sex the first night she's back. Especially after everything that happened." She shakes her head in disappointment, making Santana roll her eyes and huff.

"Relax, _Mom_." She groans and spins around to lean against the counter. "We literally slept. Like, next to one another in the same bed." She clarifies

"Oh."

"And it was great." Santana smiles to herself, staring off at the soda fountain as she remembers her arm under Brittany's pillow.

"Yeah, sleep can be really awesome." Quinn nudges her to go into the dining room before they get in trouble, yet again, for socializing and not working. "But, like, did you guys talk about _anything_?"

Santana stops at the first computer station they come to and glances around the room. She hasn't gotten say yet, but really, work is kind of the last thing on her mind. Instead, she's remembering the past few hours she'd spent with Brittany. It was sweet and incredible and surprising and… and then she remembers something kind of important.

"She found the ring." Santana sighs. That wasn't something she'd really expected to happen. She figured that when she got back with the pizza, they'd eat and talk which they did do. But, Brittany finding the engagement ring Santana had successfully kept hidden for almost four whole years was kind of a curve ball.

"Wait, _what_?" Quinn jars her from her thoughts and yanks on her arm. "How the hell did she find the ring?" She asks, her tone desperate and confused.

"I don't know, she…" Santana tries to remember the previous night's events and all in all it really didn't matter how it happened all that mattered was that Brittany now knows that ring exists. "I guess I left it out when you were over, I don't know." She shrugs her shoulders and inwardly groans when she sees one of her tables getting sat with two middle aged women. "Doesn't really matter, Q. It's out there now." She goes to grab to beverage napkins and ready herself for the daily and repetitive greeting she gives each table, but Quinn grabs her by the elbow.

"So?" Santana can tell by Quinn's look that she's asking a bunch of questions, even though she's only said one word.

"Time out." Santana makes the international sign for 'time out' with her hands, something they often do at work when in the middle of discussions, and heads over to her table.

* * *

><p>"What does it look like?" Alexis coos, her eyes wide with excitement.<p>

"I don't know." Brittany tells her with a shrug as she sorts through her mail. Before she can get through the first few envelopes, Alexis's hand pulls them down to get Brittany's full attention.

"What do you mean _you don't know_?" Alexis blurts out in disbelief. Brittany searches her friend's curious eyes, knowing that her answer is going to be followed by a string of more questions.

"I didn't open it." She admits innocently. Those wide eyes staring back at her only grow wider, if possible.

"What _do you mean you didn't open it_?!" Her friend covers her mouth when she realizes she is practically yelling.

"Lex," Brittany sighs and settles the stack of envelopes in her hands down to the desk. "I…" She shakes her head because, even though she knows why she didn't open that black box and look at the ring, she can't seem to find the words to explain herself.

"Well," Alexis chuckles and her shoulders relax. "You're a stronger woman than I am." She pats Brittany on the arm.

"I don't know about _that_."

"Are you kidding me? Of course you are. Any other girl who found a little black box, the perfect size for a ring, would have pried that thing open without another thought." Alexis assures her with a serious but humorous tone. "So, what are you guys gonna do now?" She asks and Brittany takes in a deep breath and twists her lips.

* * *

><p>"Is that really gonna work for you?" Quinn asks in her challenge stance; arms crossed and eyebrow arched. Santana looks away, not wanting to get sucked in to Quinn's over share of feelings corner.<p>

"It's not like I really have a choice." She shrugs her shoulders while she sets glasses up on a tray. "Plus, she makes a good argument. When or if she feels like she's ready, then it gives me time to make it special." Quinn sighs, uncrosses her arms and leans her elbows on the counter.

"When." Quinn hums and taps her finger tips on the cool metal by the soda machine.

"_What_?" Santana jerks her head to the side as she fills up table thirteen's diet cokes.

"It's not an 'if' Santana, it's a 'when'." She pats her friend on the back and then heads out to the dining room to check on her tables.

* * *

><p>"That's totally romantic." Alexis practically melts after hearing about what Santana and Brittany have decided upon the latter finding the ring.<p>

"That's the idea." Brittany's smile widens at how her friend's eyes are glistening with envy and excitement.

"I hate to be a buzz kill at such awesome news, but," She pokes at the envelopes in Brittany's hands. "What are you gonna do about this now? I mean, it's a really awesome opportunity." Brittany looks down at the stack of letters and nods in agreement.

"I have to talk about it with Santana." Brittany explains easily. There's no question about it. "I was really hoping to have the chance to deal with the me and Santana part of my life without anything else getting in the way." She shakes her head and blows some hair from her face before looking up at Alexis and sending her a nervous smile. "So much for that."


	36. Chapter 36

Since she had time to kill, Brittany figured it'd probably be a good idea to get a new cell phone considering the old one is most likely still lying in the back of Santana's truck. Luckily, she was able to keep her original number which is nice because then she's not going to have to spread the word to family and friends of new digits.

When she was first handed her new phone she instantly sent Santana a text message to let her know she has reentered the world of technology. Of course she didn't say it in those words, but she got her point across by means of a picture text.

Brittany's pretty much been sitting on the couch playing with her new phone since she'd left the store. Luckily, for her, it was a nice distraction from the small stack of envelopes, letters and business cards sitting on the coffee table that she had picked up from the studio earlier in the evening. Just as she is about to download some puzzle game on her phone, in vibrates in her hand.

**S: just got outta work. on my way home **

Brittany smiles at the text message and quickly types out a reply.

**Brittz: yay! I missed u**

Santana grins at Brittany's response and brings her hand to her chest when her breath catches a bit. It's nice to have yet another connection with Brittany. It was so hard to have no access to Brittany, not only physically, but verbally. Since she couldn't reach her on the cell phone she had thrown away, then unable to get to her through the Pierce's home phone, its nice now to have that form of communication back.

**S: I missed u 2 babe. hungry?**

Brittany throws her legs onto the couch, rests her head onto a pillow and bashfully smiles at her phone. Her thumbs move gracefully over her phone to create the perfect response.

**Brittz: just come home**

It's probably a message Santana's received from Brittany a million and one times. Maybe more. Somehow, today, it feels like the first time. That feeling in her chest that feels like she's melting from the inside out, which sounds gross but is amazing, begins to burn and the butterflies in her stomach start to flutter. She remembers those years ago when they were driving to New York and Brittany called their apartment 'their home'. It's a feeling that is sort of unexplainable, but so very powerful.

So, rather than take her time to write out a reply, Santana picks up her pace in hopes of getting home that much quicker. Santana practically sprints up the steps to their apartment building and yanks the door open. She taps her foot impatiently in the elevator, instantly regretting that she didn't take the stairs. When the door to their apartment opens Brittany lifts her head up from the couch to find Santana with a big grin on her face. She tosses her phone onto the coffee table and shifts into a sitting position.

"Hey." Santana waves and kicks the door closed with her foot.

"Hi." Brittany replies and leans her chin on the back of the couch. Santana momentarily breaks their stare to kick her shoes under the table against the wall. "Come here." Brittany tells her, beckoning with her hand for Santana to join her on the couch.

"Okay." Santana unbuttons her work shirt as she makes her way over to the couch where Brittany makes some room for her to sit.

"How was work?" Brittany asks, moving to take a seat a little behind Santana and helps her out of her work shirt.

"Not bad." She shrugs her shoulders and sends an appreciative look to Brittany as she pulls off her button down.

"Back rub?" Brittany offers, tossing the smelly work shirt to the floor and rests her hands on Santana's shoulders.

"Umm," She hums, her body well aware of Brittany's fingers grazing her skin. "Okay." She clears her throat and shifts in her seat to give Brittany room to adjust her body behind hers.

Santana's lips press together as she tries to contain a moan at the feel of Brittany's fingers kneading into her muscles. Her eyes close and her head hangs because it really feels that good. Brittany's thumbs press into her flesh, trying to work out the knots in her back. For the most part her mind is blank, the only focus being on relaxation. That is, until Brittany makes a small comment.

"You're _so tight_." It's unintentional of course and she said it in such a soft, innocent voice.

But the words cause Santana's eyes to instantly shoot open and her shoulders tense up. At those words the hands on her body feel hotter and her heart picks up. Brittany's fingers stop moving and Santana hears a faint 'oh, ummm' behind her. She clears her throat and smoothes her hands down Santana's back, the fabric of her tank top bunches up in her palms.

"I picked up my mail from the studio." Brittany breaks the tension by patting Santana's back and shifting away from behind her. "A lot of it was just cards from other studios." She explains, nonchalantly yet effectively changing the subject as she reaches out for the stack of envelopes and papers on the coffee table that Santana hadn't even noticed. Brittany crosses her legs and sets the pile onto her lap, sifting through for the good stuff. "See." She says, passing over a few envelopes with just business cards inside. Santana sits back, finally letting out the breath she'd been holding in and looks down at the pile of papers in her lap.

"What's the point of sending a business card?" Santana asks, confusedly flipping each card over to check the back for a message or some sort of reason of interest in Brittany.

"I guess if I'm interested." Brittany shrugs her shoulders. "But," She starts slowly, a small smile playing on her lips. "I did get this."

Santana looks at the envelope, which is already open, and sees that Brittany's name is printed out on the front. She nods her head, tilting it from side to side because when things are printed it seems legit. She slips her finger tips into the envelope and tugs at the edge of the single piece of paper folded neatly inside. Brittany's fingers dancing on her thigh makes her anxious so she hurries up her motions.

"_Brittany Pierce_," Santana reads out loud. "_I'm a representative from the RDA_…" Her brow furrows and she looks at Brittany. "What's the RDA?"

"Oh," Brittany shifts closer and leans over to point towards the emblem in the upper left corner. "It's the Rebel Dance Agency." Santana mouths an 'oh' and nods her head.

"_From the RDA in the New York office. I caught your show for the North Dance Studio and was impressed. We have an opening…_" Santana nudges Brittany's hip with her hand as excitement rises in her voice. "_In our internship program for recent graduates. The RDA likes to stay fresh and bold, which is what I felt through your choreography. We would be lucky to have you join our ranks and help us continue to grow in this ever changing yet timeless world of dance. We hope that you consider us as you decide on your future in this very field._" She reads the send off to herself and then reads the entire letter to herself once more. "Britt." Santana breathes out, a smile completely spread across her face.

"It's just an internship." Brittany points out and shrugs her shoulders as she tugs her feet under her.

"This isn't _just_ anything, babe." Santana swiftly turns towards her girlfriend. Brittany can't help but grin at the term of endearments that are slowly trickling their way back through their words. "From what I know about dance, which is pretty much what you tell me, is that anything with the word 'agency' tacked on the end of whatever ludicrous name is kind of a big deal. Maybe it's just an internship, but, working at an agency seems like a far better opportunity for you than continuing to work at the studio."

"That's the other thing." Brittany's smile flickers as she twists her lips and takes the letter away from Santana and sets it down onto the coffee table. "Remember I told you I called them and that they offered me a full time job?" Santana nods. "Well, they are opening up another studio and they want me to be the assistant dance director at the _new_ South Dance Studio."

"Oh… wow. Brittany, that's…" Santana's eyes are wide, her jaw hangs and words escape her. Brittany smirks as Santana turns her body towards her. "What does all this mean? Would you still be teaching?"

"Yeah, but, I'd have a lot more responsibility." She explains with a wave of her hand. Santana nods at all of the new information, her eyes searching the fabric of Brittany's pants for all of the fine details that have yet to be exposed. "Lisa wasn't in today, so I didn't have the chance to talk out everything with her. But, Gary pretty much told me that I'd be getting a significant raise and I would have a lot more creative control over the way the new place is run."

Santana can't control herself, this news is just too exciting, and she throws herself into Brittany. Her arms wrap around her girlfriend's neck, pulling her close against her. Brittany chuckles because she almost falls backwards on the couch at Santana's body being thrust towards her. After placing a quick peck to her cheek, Santana pulls back, keeping Brittany's hands in hers.

"I gotta be honest," Santana breathes out with a small laugh. "I thought you were gonna tell me you got some offer across the country or something." She shakes her head at herself and Brittany runs her thumbs over the back of her hands.

"I would have said 'no'." She says without missing a beat and Santana sends her a questioning stare. "Not so long ago you gave up an opportunity to be with me." She explains in a soft, sweet tone. "When you did that, it made me realize that everything is an opportunity and that it doesn't matter where you are."

"Miss Pierce, you're kind of the smartest and sweetest person ever." Santana cutely pokes at her girlfriend's cheek before leaning in to press a kiss to that very spot. "I think the only thing I'd do differently is not wait until the last minute." Brittany laughs and playfully rolls her eyes.

"Really? I think that was the best part." She winks and pulls at Santana's hands to draw them closer to her own lap.

"What are you gonna do?" Santana asks and motions towards the possibilities of Brittany's future.

"What do _you_ think I should do?" Brittany counters with a bit of uncertainty.

"I don't know if I feel comfortable answering that." She admits in a low voice. "I mean, it's _your_ future." Brittany's gaze drops from Santana and down to their hands and she takes in the rings on their fingers. "Britt, I'm not saying that I won't sit here and spit ball your options." Santana dips her head to find those blue eyes and tugs on her girlfriend's hands. "But, dancing is _your_ dream and _your_ passion. _My_ dream and passion is _you_. So, whatever will make you happy will make me happy." Brittany lets out a long breath and they smile back at one another.

It's funny. Even after the month they spent away from each other and the months that, though not literally apart, caused that separation some things didn't seem to skip a beat. Regardless of the bumps and forks in the road they've gone through during the course of their relationship, one thing will always ring true and that's that they are in this crazy thing called life together. The fights, misunderstandings and uncertainty don't take away all of the things that they want. It also helps that everything they want always brings them back to one another.

As Brittany caressed Santana's hands with her thumbs, she's only reminded of everything her sister had told her back in Lima. Sometimes relationships don't ride on a smooth path for forever, but, it's those little imperfections that make it all worth it. It's all of those imperfections that make it exactly the opposite of imperfect. Hearing her girlfriend say that her dreams and passion are important makes her realize that everything in her life connects back to Santana.

The rest of the evening is spent with Brittany explaining the pros and cons of both options. She points out how taking the internship could present even better opportunities for her in the future, like, being able to become a choreographer for music videos and movies and world tours. Yet, at the same time, becoming the assistant dance director at the new South Dance Studio could offer some equally amazing opportunities. At the studio she will be able to build a stronger resume, get more experience and then her dream of becoming a sought out choreographer would still be there.

While Brittany expresses her feelings on each situation, Santana lovingly smiles and enjoys the way Brittany uses her hands to paint the picture of her possible future. The passion in Brittany's eyes about dance shines so bright, she's only reminded of all the many reasons of why she fell in love with her in the first place. She nods at the moments Brittany asks if she agrees when she does and she shakes her head when she agrees with the parts where Brittany makes a good con point.

It's nice and intimate and grown up sitting on the couch going over career options. During the night, Santana is reminded of the reason she got off the plane. Brittany's right. Opportunities and chances of a beautiful life aren't about where you are; it's about who you're with. And on the couch in their apartment in New York with Brittany is exactly where every dream, passion, hope, chance and opportunity is for her.

* * *

><p>A few weeks later and some very much needed re-bonding time, Santana and Brittany decide it's time to extend their quality alone time into some long lost friend time. Brittany has gotten to have a few lunches and dinners with Quinn, coffees with Rachel and a Project Runway marathon when Kurt finally came back to New York. Santana has continued her best bud time with Quinn on their many benches in Washington Square Park, unfortunate forced but entertaining cosmos with Rachel and a randomly awkward brunch with Kurt and his boyfriend Blaine. The only thing they haven't done is put all of these people into one equation.<p>

So, it only makes sense for them all to reconnect in the one place that has always been theirs; Mick's.

"If we get there first, can we call dibs on being the Cocktail Commanders?" Santana practically squeals as she tugs on Brittany's hand. Her girlfriend laughs, guiding them through the crowd of people on the sidewalk waiting for the light to change.

Cocktail Commander is when a couple or even one of them gets to a bar first and gets to be in charge of what everyone drinks. It's something that started back in the spring of Freshman year when Brittany realized that Rachel and Quinn had different reactions to certain cocktails. Obviously, she shared her little observation with Santana who decided to test out the theory one night which ultimately led to Quinn streaking down the hall of their floor. A memorable and educational evening it was.

Upon this amazing gift of control and entertainment, the couple decided to let their friends in on what had transpired when they were in charge of drinks that night. Neither Quinn nor Rachel believed them and demanded to have their own testing night. Long story short and an almost arrest later, the couple believed their friends and thus the Cocktail Commanders was born. Perhaps silly and a bit juvenile, but fun nevertheless and a great group ice breaker… maybe.

"I thought we decided Junior year that Cocktail Commander would be something we all discussed when we make plans to go out." Brittany says but her reminder gets a quirked eyebrow and a smirk. "Did you?"

"Oh," Santana lifts her phone from her bag and shakes it out in front of them. "I did." She chuckles as she puts her phone away again.

"When?"

* * *

><p>"Come on!" Rachel shouts from the living room. "We should have left ten minutes ago."<p>

"I know, I know." Quinn comes rushing around the corner, shoving her phone and wallet into her purse. "I can't believe we agreed to this." She shakes her head, tucks some hair behind her ear before bending down to fix the strap on her shoe.

"She called us wimps." Rachel reminds her with a pointed look.

"Oh, sweetie." Quinn laughs and moves to set her hand softly to Rachel's cheek. "She said 'pussy', but your innocence is adorable."

"While I can appreciate your admiration of my well preserved purity," Rachel starts and covers Quinn's hand with her own. "I do _not_ like to lose. But more importantly, I do _not_ like Santana being in charge of the things I put in my mouth." She quickly shuts her mouth and looks away, unable to avoid the little grin Quinn is trying to control. "Just promise me you won't tell her I just said that."

"Done."

* * *

><p>"I don't understand why we couldn't just take a cab." Kurt groans as Blaine leads him through the sidewalk traffic.<p>

"Have you forgotten the time we decided to do that and we lost Cocktail Commander by mere seconds?" Blaine reminds him with a quick look over his shoulder. Kurt curls his upper lip, the memory of that night though blurry, was disappointing. "I'll never forget the look in Quinn's eyes when she passed us while we were stuck at a red light." He shakes his head.

"I blame those Zumba classes she takes with Brittany." Kurt points out. "They power walk to and from class and have you ever actually seen a Zumba class?"

"Those bitches are crazy." Blaine agrees with a nod and holds his arm across Kurt when they come up to a busy intersection.

"If it wasn't for Rachel weighing her down, Quinn would beat us _everywhere_ by walking." The couple laugh, both obviously imagining their friend in a super hero cape as she struts down the sidewalk of their mind.

"I think you're forgetting about the time we nearly got trampled by Rachel _and _Santana racing to the bar." Blaine brings up yet another interesting night.

"Seeing those two kids bicker like that," Kurt starts and pulls on Blaine's hand when it's safe for them to cross. "Practically killing each other… well it's the best thing ever and totally worth not being Cocktail Commander just to be able to see one of them lose against the other."

* * *

><p>"So, how are things?" Quinn asks, tipping the neck of her beer to clink it into Santana's.<p>

"Couldn't be better." She smiles and sips her beer. Quinn can tell by her voice and the small, slightly forced smile that there is something else.

"_You haven't had sex yet, have you_?" She quickly blurts out as if she's figured out a puzzle she's been working on for days.

"_What_?!" Santana's voice cracks and she sends a nervous glance over her shoulder at Brittany who is all smiles and giggles at the table with the rest of the group. "What?" She asks again in a less anxious tone. "That's ridiculous." She waves her off and turns back towards her friend who is suspiciously eyeing her up. "Okay, no." She huffs, setting her beer bottle down onto the bar top and runs her fingers through her hair. Quinn breathes out a laugh and turns to lean her back on the bar.

"I_ knew_ it." She shakes her head and points in the direction of the table their group is at. "There's enough sexual tension between the two of you it could suffocate a third world country."

"Ugh, is it really that obvious?" Santana groans, wrapping her hands around the base of her beer.

"Only to me." Quinn assures her with a light shrug of her shoulders. "And Rachel." She motions towards her girlfriend, making Santana roll her eyes. "Oh, Kurt and Blaine too." She adds through a fake cough and Santana's eyes widen.

"Oh my God." Santana face palms herself, wishing she could crawl into a ball and into her bed, far away from this conversation. But, then something brings her back. "Wait a minute." She squints one eye and points at her friend. "You're bringing up my sex-life."

"What sex-life?" Quinn challenges with a smirk.

"Don't test me Fabray." She steps closer and analyzes her friend's eyes. "You'll usually talk about anything to avoid me dishing out on getting it on with Brittz." She tilts her head, trying to figure Quinn out. "What's your angle, Q?"

"No angle." Quinn quickly turns back towards the bar and holds up two fingers to Garrett for two shots. "But, have you met you when you're sex deprived?" She arches one of her eyebrows and smirks, which garners a playful punch in the arm from Santana. "I think I'm the only one who noticed." She clarifies in a softer voice, which is relieving to Santana. "What kind of a best friend would I be if I didn't notice a drought in your normally very active sexcapades?" She clinks her bottle against Santana's and the two share a short chuckle.

"Not mine, that's for sure." Santana replies instantly and throws back the shot of tequila Garrett poured for them.

"So, what's up?" Quinn bumps her shoulder into her best friend's.

"I've been thinking of quitting Nelson's."

"Oh." Quinn nods and then shakes her head, realizing this does not at all answer their current conversation. "Hey, don't change the subject."

"It's not that I don't want to have sex. I do. I _totally_ do." She makes that face she does when she really, really wants something. "I'm just… ugh… I feel like, when we finally do it it's gonna feel like the first time all over again. I want it to be special." She makes a face at herself and rolls her eyes. "That was kinda gross."

"Totally." Quinn agrees before tossing back her own shot and then signals Garrett for six more. "But, seriously," She shells out some money down onto the counter. "Isn't it always special?"

"Oh, Quinnie." Santana pats her friend on the back and chuckles. "That's a conversation for another night." They grab the shots, three each and head back over to the table.

"What took you guys so long?" Rachel groans and stares down at the shot of tequila Quinn sets down in front of her.

"Just a little chit chat." Quinn tells her and sends Santana a wink.

Since Quinn is Cocktail Commander, stepping into Mick's before Rachel, she's dubbed tequila the shot of the night. Tequila makes her and Santana freer with their witty retorts and a lot funnier, hence the extra hidden shots they took at the bar alone. Plus, from her months living with Brittany and Santana back in freshman year, she knows for a fact that tequila makes Brittany horny. A fact she's not exactly proud or happy to know about.

"Baby, you forgot limes." Brittany points out to Santana and moves to get up from her chair.

"I should go help her." Kurt says as he shimmies from his own seat. "Last time she dropped all the limes on the floor and then… picked them up without telling us." He makes a face at the memory of finding out the lime that had been in his mouth had been on the floor of Mick's. Not exactly appetizing.

"Hey," Blaine leans across the table and pokes Santana in the elbow. "How's the new studio working for Brittany?" Santana smiles and plays with the full shot glass in front of her.

"She loves it." She boasts, catching a quick glance of Brittany heading back towards the table.

"That's really great." Blaine cheers and Santana eyes him carefully.

"Doesn't your boyfriend tell you anything?" She spits out, realizing that Blaine is always asking things she would expect Kurt to tell him. Instead of answering, Blaine just looks around awkwardly and is saved by Kurt and Brittany returning with the limes. "Weirdo." Santana mumbles under her breath.

"I would like to propose a toast." Quinn interrupts everyone's side conversations and lifts her shot glass to the middle of the table. She smiles when everyone follows suit and soon all of their glasses and fingers are touching. "To friends who are family," She bumps shoulders with Brittany and smiles over at Kurt. "New and old beginnings," She winks over at Santana. "And last but not least, to the wrath of mine and Santana's awesomeness about to be spewed out for the remainder of the evening."

"Cheers." Santana clinks her shot against Quinn's, and leans her head into Brittany's when she hears her girlfriend giggle.

Everyone else cheers along with them and not long after, there is another round of tequila making its way towards their table. Rachel comments that it would be economically friendly for them to next time bring their own limes, instead of wasting the ones at Mick's for their stupid drinking rituals. This is then countered by Kurt who blames Quinn and Santana because every time one of them is the Cocktail Commander, nine times out of ten, tequila is in the equation.

This conversation is of course challenged by Brittany who points out that whenever Kurt and or Rachel are Cocktail Commander, fruity drinks are involved that are topped off with various pieces of fruits usually discarded since they are only garnishes. Then, like every other time someone says this, Kurt feigns offense with a gasp to which Santana says 'sorry, Lady Hummel'. Blaine then goes on some rant, as always, about how fruit is imported from other countries and how the purchases of said fruit by bars is economically sound and that they are merely helping their country.

Of course this goes on and on for an hour or two until the tequila starts to kick in, which is when Quinn and Santana find their stride in roller coaster of verbal awesomeness. They fall into a conversation which they pretend is only between the two of them, only they talk loud enough for everyone to hear. They poke fun at Blaine's eyebrows and how they probably have their own zip code. This is nicely followed up by a random comment from Brittany on how much hair product he uses and asks if he is helping the economy by shopping at a wholesale store for his weekly gel usage.

"I use the required amount." Blaine defends as he lightly smoothes his hand over his perfectly gelled locks.

"You've had the _same_ hair style for past year." Santana points out with a good stare down as she tosses down her lime wedge. "I mean, it's like all of the seasons of 24 with that hair 'style'." She spits out and scoffs with a wave of her hand.

"It's kind of like Rachel and her wardrobe all throughout high school." Brittany chimes in, her hand riding up on Santana's leg under the table.

"_Hey_." Rachel jerks her head back, clearly offended, even though her focus is on the bottom of the shot glass in her hand. "I'll have you know that those reindeer sweaters are what drew Finn to me."

"What _drew_ Finnocence to you was the fact that you kept throwing yourself at him." Santana interjects, lifting her hand up to indicate to Garrett that they need more shots. "That and the fact that whenever you sang you made the reindeer on your sweater dance." She can't even hold in the laugh that comes out, though she does try to muffle it with her hand. Rachel shoots a look at Quinn when she sees her girlfriend's body shutter with some light laughter.

"What?" Quinn shrugs her shoulders and turns her attention to one of the many televisions in the bar. "It worked on me, too." She grins and looks back over at Rachel who blushes.

"Ugh." Santana makes a disgruntled face to go along with the disgruntled grunt she gives out which receives stares from everyone at the table. "Just, gross." She shakes her head in disgrace for her best friend.

Disregarding comments from the peanut gallery, that gallery also being known as Quinn and Santana's mouth, the group continues on bantering like this for the rest of the evening. It's fun and it's reminiscent of the past four years, plus a certain thickly browed boy.

Blaine and Kurt share their ideas on possibly moving in together and of course the girls do not agree. Rachel admits that she enjoys having Kurt as her live in best gay, to which Quinn argues against. Santana then adds how they haven't been together long enough to make that kind of a commitment to one another. They all turn to Brittany for her input, only to find that she's whispering secretly into a blushing Santana's ear.

"Well," Kurt interrupts after a small lull between topics of conversation. "I think we're gonna call it a night." He motions between himself and Blaine who nods and smiles politely.

"Aww man, come on." Santana groans, flailing her hands in disapproval and flicks her fingers at the used up lime in front of her. "We're just getting started My Little Pony." She juts her lower lip out and tries her best to bat her eyelashes over at her girlfriend's best guy friend only to be shut down.

"Actually Santana, you and Britt have been having sex talk for the past hour." He points out, getting a few nods and hums to corroborate his story.

"_What_?!" Her voice cracks as her body melds into Brittany's, which is pretty much draped over her own. "Pshh." She waves him away and leans herself more into her girlfriend who continues to whisper dirty, sweet nothings into her ear. They say goodbye to the boys, well, Brittany continues to talk into Santana's ear, but Santana says goodbye for the both of them.

"Yeah," Quinn clears her throat and pushes her chair back which makes a loud screech against the bar's floor. "We're gonna go too." She says as she rifles through her bag for money. "Come on Rach." She taps Rachel on the shoulder as she gets up from her seat.

"Hey," Santana calls out to her before she can lead her drunk girlfriend out of Mick's. "You're coming over for dinner Thursday, right?"

Quinn nods, remembering her friend's suggestion for them to come over for Thursday dinner, something they've been doing since forever. Santana watches her friends walk out, leaving her and Brittany alone at a table filled with empty shot glasses and used up lime peels all over. Brittany grins to herself as she continues to suggestively whisper in her girlfriend's ear, leaving her lips pressed closely against her skin.

After one last round of shots for the two of them, Brittany pays the rest of the bill and pulls a very drunk but happy Santana out of Mick's. It's pretty hot out, but luckily there's a light breeze which isn't so bad for a pretty sweet more than buzzed feeling. Their fingers lace together easily, palms pressed more tightly together than when they had first arrived. Brittany smiles over in Santana's direction, enjoying the way her girlfriend's eyes light up due to their close proximity.

Forgoing a taxi back to their apartment building, the walk home provides them both some time to sober up and the ability to carry on a nice alcohol induced conversation. Brittany thanks Santana for helping her realize how amazing it has been taking the assistant dance director job over at South Dance Studio. They kiss on the thank you when they reach a corner that has the 'no crossing' sign up.

Santana thanks Brittany for understanding her contemplation of quitting Nelson's and shares that earlier she'd talked to Garrett, the bartender and co-owner of Mick's, about bartending. Brittany of course suggests that maybe she should try bartending over at Nelson's, because experience is essential. Santana, however, counters that if she starts bartending at Nelson's she'll most likely get stuck working there for another four years which is not on her to-do list.

To-do list only reminds Brittany of the term 'honey-do list', which of course makes Santana do a double take as they cross the street. Brittany explains that her mom gives her dad a 'honey-do list' when she can't run errands and needs his help. This prompts Santana to have them promise one another that when they are married they won't have 'honey-do lists' because everything will be equal.

"Hey, why are you stopping?" Santana asks, looking down at Brittany's feet that have stopped moving. She looks around, just to make sure that they aren't standing in the middle of the street and aren't about to get run over. They're not, so she looks back at those glassy with tequila blues.

Instead of responding right away, Brittany dips her hand down into her purse and pulls out her phone. She swipes across the screen to open it up and Santana stands there watching her curiously. She smirks at the way Brittany cutely gnaws on her bottom lip and how her eyes sparkle as she stares up at her over her phone screen. Her hands stop moving and she sucks in her lips that are desperate to release a wide smile.

"See this girl." Brittany says and turns her phone around to show a candid picture of Santana and Quinn walking back from the bar with shots in their hands. Her smile hits her eyes in the picture and Quinn is in the background, blurry but recognizable. She nods and grins at the silly picture Brittany is showing off to her.

"Yeah." She breathes out, covering Brittany's hand that is holding the phone with her own. "She's kinda hot." Brittany giggles and playfully rolls her eyes as she moves her body behind Santana's and brings her mouth to her ear.

"I'm gonna marry her one day." Brittany whispers.

"Britt." Santana breathes out and tilts her head so it rests on Brittany's shoulder. She sighs and pulls her girlfriend's hand down and turns around to face her.

It's one of those moments where she wants to throw everything out there and say 'let's do it'. A moment where she wishes that nothing that happened happened and that there was never a time where they were apart because this moment is just perfect. But, then she remembers that they're drunk and even though their drunk words are usually words of truth, it's not time. Neither of them are ready. Not yet.

"I know." Brittany says in a low voice and drops her gaze from Santana. She shakes her head at herself, kind of embarrassed that she's brought up that thing that they promised to stop saying to one another. "But," She starts after a few seconds of nothing being said. "It's the truth." She whispers between the tiny space that separates them. Her eyes finally meet Santana's.

"This can't be a thing." She tells her, a faint bit of sadness in her voice. "We can't keep revisiting this every few weeks." Santana explains vaguely, but Brittany knows what she means. Her small smiles fades at the way Brittany's head hangs, so she steps forward to close the distance between their bodies. "_One day…_"

"Yeah." Brittany interrupts, lifting her eyes back up to Santana's and nods. "One day." She repeats their mantra, but Santana laughs out a smile and shakes her head as she brings her hand up to her girlfriend's cheek.

"No, just listen." Santana says. "One day, we are gonna be ready to take the next step. We're going to be settled in our jobs, at least I hope." She makes a face of uncertainty, considering she's still waiting to get accepted to law school. "Luckily, my student loans won't be too atrocious." She winks trying to make it a lighter conversation. "And then one day, we are going to be… I don't know, looking for a house so that our kids have a yard to play in." She explains with a wave of her hand. Brittany's smile only grows and she presses her body more into Santana's.

"Kids?" Brittany asks, tilting her head to the side and her lower lip quivers. Santana's eyebrow arches and shakes a little as she searches those questioning eyes staring back at her.

"Why, Brittany Pierce," She lets out softly and slowly. "I always thought you wanted kids." She jokes, poking her finger to the tip of her girlfriend's nose garnering a playful eye roll. "When I bought that ring," Santana continues and grips her other hand at Brittany's waist. "I was signing up for everything." She explains with a shake of her head, as if ridding her body of any sort of sign that would say she's only half in this. "All of that stuff," Her thumb grazes the corner of Brittany's mouth. "I want it all and then some."

They stand on the corner of the street that Mick's is on and stare at one another for a little while longer. Their eyes share every hope and dream they've had together and separately. All of Brittany's aspirations and all of Santana's desires shared with a simple look. They've never had to actually communicate with words, but all of their promises since they've reconnected have become verbally expressed. They've learned that sometimes things, even if they don't need to be said, mean that much more when they are out there in the open.


	37. Chapter 37

"You know," Rachel says as she rifles through her bag for some lip gloss. "The bump in the relationship road that you and Santana hit has inadvertently paralyzed my own relationship." Brittany swallows her water and chews on her straw in thought. "Not that I'm blaming _you_ for the current status of my relationship with Quinn." She waves her hand while the other shoves the lip gloss back in her purse. Brittany lets the straw slip from her lips and her eyes flicker towards the waitress who passes their table. "Or Santana for that matter." Rachel adds, rolls her eyes and grips the sides of her own water glass. "I guess that I figured after you came back and you guys reconciled, that Quinn and I would fall back into it." She shrugs her shoulders and huffs when she notices Brittany looking longingly at the food on the table next to them. "Brittany, are you even listening to me?"

"_Totally_." Brittany replies, pulling herself back into the conversation. Rachel flips her hair and sighs, bringing her focus back to her thoughts.

"Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate the wonderful quality of being a good friend, but what about _me_?" She tilts her head to the side and sends her friend pleading eyes.

"You're a pretty good friend, Rach." Brittany assures her with a smile.

"Oh, no. I mean, yes, I know." Rachel shakes her head and adjusts in her seat. "I mean what about _my_ needs as a girlfriend? While Quinn was off playing super friend to Santana in your absence, no offense," Brittany's eyes widen a bit, but she shrugs off the not so subtle dig at her absence. "I had to sit on the sidelines and wait for attention."

"Wait for attention?" Brittany asks, confused by her friend's way with words.

"Exactly!" Rachel slaps her hands to the table, only causing a few odd looks in return and Brittany barely flinches. "Normally I am center of attention, so I'm sure you can only imagine how hard it was for me to step aside and let Santana take up all of _my_ Quinn time."

"It's been, like, a month and a half." Brittany points out, pausing momentarily to check the math in her head.

"Well, one would think that with all of your relationship drama 'fixed' or whatever it is you're calling it," She sighs and waves her hand in the air between them. "Surely Quinn and I should have fallen back into our usual and nice life."

"Is this about sex?" Brittany wonders, but she can tell by Rachel's facial expression that her question is just going to go ignored.

"Do you know I found an application for some summer photography seminar?" Brittany's eyebrows raise and then she smiles when their food finally arrives. She leans back in her chair to let the waitress set her plate in front of her and she practically drools and also hopes that food in Rachel's mouth will tone down her speaking.

They both thank the waitress and Brittany is quick to dive into her sandwich, salivating at the thought of how delicious it is going to taste. Rachel eyes her friend curiously as she picks up her fork finding herself hesitant to start indulging on her lunch just yet.

"Has Quinn ever talked to you about being a photographer?" She slyly asks, as though trying to pry the information from Brittany. While Brittany munches on her lunch, she tilts her head from side to side as she takes in the question. Sure, Quinn has taken her to this studio not so far away where she's watched her develop some photos. But, she doesn't actually remember her friend saying anything along the lines of doing anything with it.

"Umm," Brittany swallows her food and shrugs her shoulders. "I've seen some of work and it's really good." Rachel scoffs at the statement and jabs her fork into her salad.

"It's not _work_." Rachel bites in a hushed tone and Brittany looks at her curiously and slightly concerned.

"That's a little rude, Rachel." She points out before going in for another bite of her awesome lunch.

"Taking pictures is no way to make a living." Rachel explains, jamming her fork around her plate only moving her food around and not really eating it.

"Says who?" Brittany asks even though her mouth is full.

"Says every struggling artist's parents." She easily answers and finally digs into her salad.

"Isn't that hypothetical of you?" Brittany accuses, letting her sandwich fall to her plate and she wipes her hands on her napkin. Rachel of course sends her an incredulous and perplexed glare. "I mean, aren't you a 'struggling artist'? You're in New York and trying to make it big." She explains and when Rachel tries to defend herself, words fall short and a tiny croak comes out. After a few uncomfortable seconds of silence, Rachel clears her throat and continues to move her fork through her food.

"It's _hypocritical_," Rachel corrects. "And it's completely different." Brittany jerks her head back for a moment and then leans forward in her chair.

"How is it different?" She challenges, wondering if perhaps Rachel really does have an inside as to why it's different. When Rachel stares at her, mouth searching for words, she studies her own food for a moment before continuing. "I mean, if you're an artist then you make art, right?" Rachel shrugs her shoulders and nods. "Acting and singing is known as an art form. So is dancing." She smiles, realizing she herself is an artist and she's proud of that fact.

"_My_ art is different." Rachel continues to express there's a difference with her craft and Quinn's, but Brittany can't figure out where one begins and one ends. She had always thought art was one thing; beautiful.

"Isn't art subjective?" Brittany says nonchalantly and picks her sandwich back up. "You sit there and say Quinn's art isn't actual art, but who's to say that what _you_ do is art?" She quirks an eyebrow in Rachel's direction before taking a big bite and her question lingers in the air between them along with the sound of her chewing.

Rather than continue this obvious uphill battle of a conversation, Rachel decides to change the topic to something a bit more interesting and less confrontational. Pretty much something that is not win or lose. She inquires about Brittany's new position at the new studio and how it is at a higher level of power. Of course Brittany doesn't consider herself to be in any sort of power, but does mention that appreciates the raise in pay.

Brittany comments on how she and Santana had suggested a summer trip to Disney a while ago, but with everything that's happened the past few months have decided to wait. Of course it sucks to have to put off a romantic and exciting vacation, but they agreed it would feel like a lot of pressure. When Rachel asks what she means by there being 'pressure', Brittany shrugs her shoulders and smiles before explaining that right now they're just enjoying each other.

As the duo are heading out the door of the small café, Brittany's cell phone rings, putting the talking on pause for a moment. She glances over at Rachel because it's Quinn on the other line telling her to pretend its Santana. With a nod and a half roll of her eyes, Brittany slaps on a smile and uses her sweet Santana phone voice to answer Quinn's questions.

"Okay, I'll be there in five." Brittany assures her friend on the other side of the phone line. "Love you." She almost giggles out before ending the call. "I have to meet Santana at some salon, she's having a diva moment." She points towards her phone as if it were Santana. Rachel quirks an eyebrow and curiously eyes her friend before nodding.

"I guess that sounds like her. I remember I went with her to get a pedicure once and, well, let's just say the place now has a cappuccino machine." She shrugs her shoulders and Brittany can't stifle the laugh that pops from her lips. That does sound very much like her girlfriend. But, she remembers, this particular situation is _not_ about Santana, it's about Quinn and she needs to meet with her. "Well, I'll see you later." Rachel waves and checks the time on her phone before turning around leaving Brittany alone to figure out the fastest way to get to the salon Quinn is at.

When she finally picks a direction her attention is brought back to her phone. This time it actually is Santana and she looks both ways before crossing as she answers the call.

"Hey babe." Brittany says, this time not having to force with the pet names.

"Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I'm at Kurt's with him and Blaine." Santana explains and her tone is void of any interest in her own whereabouts. "How's lunch?"

"Just finished." Brittany lightly jogs across another street. "Rachel complains a lot." Santana scoffs at how from her girlfriend's voice, sounds like this is something she's only now come to realize.

"Yes, one of the many reasons I am so fond that I no longer share a roof with her." She points out. "What was it this time?" She asks, wondering what it was that Rachel had been gabbing about to make Brittany sound a bit exhausted.

"Well, for starters she blames us for whatever is not going on between her and Quinn." Santana's brow furrows, but she stays silent figuring Brittany is going to continue to explain. "But what got me is that she's not a fan of Quinn getting into photography."

"That's not really up to her." Santana says almost instantly. "Besides, how does it affect her?"

"She doesn't feel that it's a wise career path for Quinn because it isn't a well paying job. Then she said what she does is more art than Quinn taking pictures. So, I told her that art is subjective." Brittany picks up her pace when she spots the very salon she's been looking for.

"My baby is so smart." Santana coos into the phone and Brittany smiles a giggle. "I don't know, I mean, I can understand what Rachel is saying with the whole money thing I guess. But, at the same time, it's totally hypocritical of her considering she herself is a struggling artist."

"That's what I said." Brittany replies with a sturdy nod. "I'm actually going to meet Quinn right now. She said something about an emergency."

"Is everything okay?" Santana asks with concern.

"Well, she's at some salon right now so I'm assuming it's a hair crisis or something." She waves her hand in the air even though Santana can't see her.

"Alright, let me know. I should probably go. The two pretty ponies are staring at me." Santana sighs. "Love you."

"Love you."

When the phone call ends, Brittany looks up to the sign hanging over the small salon that is in the middle of nowhere. She's never been to this one before and has gone with Quinn to get haircuts so she knows this isn't her usual place. Her curiosity gets her legs to move and she cautiously walks through the door and spots Quinn almost instantly. She's sitting in a chair with a towel on her head and a magazine in her lap.

"What's with the 911 call, Q?" Brittany asks when she finally reaches her friend. Quinn drops the magazine and stares nervously up at Brittany. Instead of saying anything back, she pulls the towel from her head to reveal the 'emergency'. Brittany's eyes widen and her eyebrows rise in a comical fashion. "_Oh_." She presses her lips tightly together, not sure if she is allowed to smile at this or if she is supposed to freak out. "Umm, it's…" She points a finger and wriggles it around in the air towards her friend's head. "Your hair is pink."

"I know." Quinn responds lightening quick. Brittany drops her hand and jams it into her pocket, trying to read Quinn's expression as to how to react.

"It's pink." She repeats.

"I know."

"Like, really pink." Her eyes focus on the newly colored, short locks and tilts her head.

"It was an impulse. I was walking by and I felt like I needed a change or something and I just…" Quinn stammers and runs her fingers through her hair, looking out the corners of her eyes to see the tips of her hair that is no longer blonde.

"It's definitely a change." Brittany bounces on the balls of her feet for a few seconds before venturing a walk around the chair Quinn is sitting in. "Hmm."

"What's that? What's 'hmm' mean?" She blurts out, anxiously turning her head to catch Brittany's facial expression. "Oh my God, Rachel's gonna kill me." She covers her face with both hands and shakes her head. At this statement though, Brittany stops in front of her and jerks her head back.

"It's _your_ hair. Why would Rachel get mad?" Brittany asks in confusion.

"Have you _met_ Rachel?" Quinn sends her friend a glare, not at all masking her own personal horror. "Is it that bad?"

"I like it." She nods and smiles, realizing she actually does dig this new look.

"Do you think she'll notice?"

"Quinn, your hair is _pink_. I think she'll pick up on it." Brittany chuckles.

"Do you think she'll like it?" Quinn tries not to pay attention to the way Brittany's smile momentarily fades and falls into deep thought in a nanosecond.

"I think she'll get used to it."

"What did I do?" Quinn cries out dramatically and hunches over in her chair so her face is once again in her hands.

"Hey, you did something you wanted to do." Brittany steps up and places a comforting hand on Quinn's back. "Besides, you're twenty two, you're allowed to have pink hair." She pouts because Quinn just keeps her head down and shakes it a few times. She wonders if she's allowed to have pink hair at Nelson's, but instead of voicing that, she figures it's better to keep that to herself for right now.

* * *

><p>"Can't we play Sorry <em>my<em> way?" Santana grumbles as she shakes the dice in her hand.

"Oh no." Kurt objects. "Your version of Sorry is you sitting there telling embarrassing stories about whoever is in the room and then saying 'sorry' afterwards."

"Or 'not sorry'." Blaine adds and receives a non threatening glare from Santana.

"Whatever." She huffs and moves her game piece around the board. "I guess this is better than playing 'Guess Who' using only fashion designers of dresses celebrities wear."

"_Anyway_." Kurt clears his throat and shifts in spot on the floor in front of the coffee table. "Where's Britt-Britt?"

"She's with Quinn." Santana replies, uninterested in the change of topic and stares on as Blaine takes his turn.

"What are they doing?" He presses on, curious as to where his two blonde girls are at.

"Ugh, I don't know. At some salon. I guess Quinn is getting a haircut." She waves the question off hoping it will prevent him from asking more.

"She just got a haircut." Blaine interjects as he moves his game piece and Santana shoots him a glare. For the most part she likes Blaine because he seems to make Kurt happy, but most times the boy grates on her nerves. Before she can spit out some witty response her cell phone buzzes, alerting her of a new picture text from Brittany.

"_Holy shit_!" Santana yells out and covers her mouth with her hand. Her eyebrows are practically at her hairline and she lets out a strangled chuckle. "Oh my God, this cannot be real life." She shakes her head as her eyes only get wider the longer she stares.

"What?" Kurt gasps, needing to know what all the shrieking is about.

"Rachel is going to murder Quinn." She lets out in a low voice as she turns her phone around to show the boys. Both have the same reaction as Santana and drop whatever it is they are holding to bring their hands to their mouths as they gape at the picture.

"What did she do?" Kurt blurts out.

"I like it." Blaine comments and leans back comfortably in his seat. Santana and Kurt share a look and then stare at Blaine. "What? She looks hot."

"Yeah, okay. I can dig the punk rock look as much as the next girl from the wrong side of the tracks." Santana shifts to her knees on the couch beside him. "But, you do realize Rachel Berry is going to have a fit when she sees this." She makes a point to motion towards her phone which still shows the picture of Quinn with bright pink hair.

"When who sees what?" Rachel asks when she walks through the door and all three of them snap their mouths shut and look back at her like a deer in headlights. "You know Santana, your indoor voice is just like your outside voice. I could hear you shouting from down the hall." She mentions as she places her bags and keys on the side table. Nervously, Santana looks from Blaine to Kurt then back to Rachel.

"What'd you hear?"

"I didn't hear the words, but your voice volume is permanently on high." Rachel flips her hair and heads over to the small group residing in the living room. "I'm beginning to think that it's not the walls that are thin in every place I have ever shared with you."

Luckily, instead of sharing with Rachel what she had been apparently shouting about, Santana is able to change the subject onto Rachel and her own loud voice. The threesome manage to steer the conversation from the word 'pink' and Quinn in the same sentence fearing to get the brunt of Rachel's reaction. Santana makes sure to send Brittany a quick text to let her know when Quinn is heading home so she can be out of the apartment before the bomb known as Berry blows.

* * *

><p>Santana gets home from work and does the usual little kick dance to get her shoes off and under the table by the wall. She tosses her keys by the bowl, completely missing the intended target. Her ears perk up when she hears the clicking and clacking of shoes against the hardwood floors of their apartment. A small smile graces her lips when Brittany emerges from the hallway and into the living room where she currently is. Her eyes graze over Brittany's body and the cute, little, light blue dress she has on.<p>

"You look nice." Santana comments with a nod, tugging at the bottom of her work shirt that contains the stench of Nelson's grill.

"Thanks." Brittany grins bashfully and looks down at the front of her dress where she watches her hands smooth out non-existent wrinkles.

"I take it you're goin' out tonight?" Santana asks and moves to brush by Brittany, destination the kitchen. She shakes her head at herself when she realizes she'd been gawking at her girlfriend, though she's sure Brittany doesn't mind. Brittany turns around in her spot and watches her grab the handle to the fridge.

"Uh," She clears her throat and takes a few steps in Santana's direction. "Actually, I was kind of wondering, if you're not busy of course," Santana eyes her carefully; an uncertain smirk tugs at the corner of her mouth. "If you wanted to go out tonight." She finally spits out and Santana's smile turns into a full one. "On a date." Brittany clarifies.

"Oh." Santana breathes out, less in surprise and more in relief. "I…" The smell of dirty grills and spilled alcohol enter her senses and she looks down at her still dirty uniform. "I really need to shower." She explains with a sad face and Brittany just giggles.

"I know." Brittany walks over to the kitchen until she's leaning in the doorway. "I made reservations for seven so, take your time getting ready." She winks before turning back around and heading down the hallway.

"Where'd you make reservations at?" Santana asks when she reaches their bedroom and finds Brittany sitting in front of the vanity. Brittany smiles and looks to Santana's reflection in the mirror. "I know, I know. It's a surprise." She laughs and waves her hands as though to erase her questions.

A little over an hour and Santana is ready to go. With one last glance in the mirror and a smack of her lips, she makes her way into the living room to find Brittany waiting for her by the door. They smile at one another as Brittany offers her arm and Santana grabs her keys before accepting the sweet gesture.

It only takes them five minutes to get a taxi down on the corner from their apartment and after Brittany tells the driver a random address, they are on their way. They speak softly and sweetly about their day and how they really like Quinn's new hair color on the ride. Santana thanks Brittany for putting this little date together because she really needs it.

"I guess it has kind of been a while since we did this." Santana comments and laces her fingers through Brittany's.

"We used to do it more." Brittany points out and Santana nods, letting her eyes fall to their clasped hands. "You'd think we would have went on our second first date two months ago." She smirks.

"Yeah, I guess we really have been taking things _really_ slow." Santana chuckles and shakes her head. The double meaning behind her words painfully obvious to the both of them and they each turn their heads towards the nearest window.

"Here we are." Brittany breaks the short silence when the taxi pulls up to the curb. Santana looks over and sees a sign for By-And-By and her eyes widen.

"Britt." She breathes out with a shake of her head. "Baby, this place is really expensive." She reminds her, but Brittany just smiles at her as she hands the cab fare to the driver.

"Keep the change." Brittany tells the guy and taps her girlfriend's thigh as she shuffles the both of them towards the door. It's hard for her eyes not to focus directly on Santana's ass when she steps out of the cab, not that she tries to look at anything else though. "My mom said that she and my dad came here last time they visited us." She says after closing the door and steps up to the sidewalk and grabs Santana's hand. "She said it was very romantic." They smile sweetly at one another while Brittany leads them towards the restaurants doors. "Come on."

Brittany keeps her close when they reach the front desk, where they are greeted with a warm 'good evening'. Santana's too busy looking around at how fancy the place is to realize her legs are even moving, luckily Brittany guides her safely to their table. When the hostess announces their table to them, Santana finds they have been brought to a built for two circular booth. It's off in the far corner of the restaurant with a perfect view of the fireplace.

Four years of living in New York City with her girlfriend, Santana has seen her share of nice restaurants. But this place definitely surpasses all of the other places either one of them has brought the other to. By-And-By reminds her of Brittany in a way. It's simple yet elegant. As she takes her seat across from Brittany, she's only reminded of how beautiful she is. Of course, Santana has always thought Brittany was one of the most beautiful people she has ever laid eyes on. But, sometimes, it's nice to be reminded and wowed all over again.

"You're mom was right." Santana says after picking up her menu. Her eyes flicker to Brittany over her menu, an attempt to hide her bashful smile. "This is romantic." Brittany grins proudly and blinks her eyes as she bows her head shyly in agreement.

"It's got this old school feel." Brittany comments while she glances around the dining room and the fireplace with a small fire already going. "It's a classy joint." Santana chuckles with a shake of her head and brings her focus down to the menu.

"Brittany," Santana sighs, lowering the menu and sends her girlfriend a troubled look. "A bottle of wine is _thirty five_ _dollars_."

"Must be delicious." She replies with intrigue and turns to the wine list on the first page. But Brittany can see out of the corner of her eye Santana's shoulder lower and her head tilt. She can't help but smile over her menu and playfully rolls her eyes. "Santana, we can splurge every now and then for a good bottle of wine."

"That seven dollar pinot noir Lex brought over last week was more than adequate." Santana points out. Brittany softly shakes her head from side to side, unable to not grin widely at her girl. "Okay, okay fine."

"Red?" Brittany asks when she notices the waiter heading their way and Santana nods with a smile.

After their thirty five dollar bottle of pinot noir arrives, they place their orders and are soon left to their own devices. They clink their glasses, toasting to a lovely evening and Santana mutters something about how expensive wine tastes the same as wine from a box.

Conversation is slow and sweet over candle and firelight. It's nice to stop for a moment and take time to talk to one another. Living in New York has trained the both of them to move fast, think fast and talk fast. Once in a while a break from all the speed is appreciated. Santana sips her wine while Brittany tells her about the studio, how it's coming up and how she has spearheaded a few new original classes not offered at the older studio.

When their appetizer soups arrive, Santana goes on to share her ideas on what she wants to do with her degree. The plan had been for her to apply to law school and get her law degree. But at this point, she's feeling a bit uncertain if that is the path she wants to take. Though she feels passionate about what she's studying, she just wants to make sure she picks something she will want to do for a long time. Brittany assures her that even if it turns out that law is not the road for her, its okay. She explains that it's okay to be unsure and that she wants Santana to be happy and if it means another career path then so be it.

It's comforting for Santana to know that regardless of where she ends up or what she winds up doing, Brittany is going to be by her side. For a moment, she wonders if the same is true for their best friends, Rachel and Quinn. She knows that Rachel is having a hard time dealing with Quinn and the whole photography plan she's been cooking these past few years, but she's really been wondering about it since Brittany's lunch date with Rachel the other day. But rather than go into that whole other sordid mess, she pushes that to the back of her mind because she is out on a date with her girlfriend.

"Thank you." Brittany says as she leans back in her seat so that the waiter can place her plate in front of her.

"Thanks." Santana repeats and does the same and they both eye up their dishes. "This looks delicious." She comments when their alone again. Brittany nods, her eyes flicker from both plates of yummy looking food. "Uh, what were you gonna say?"

"Oh." Brittany picks up her fork and clears her throat before looking back up at Santana. "I was thinking the other day about our Disney fund." Santana smirks and takes a bite of her food, letting a small hum of approval come out. "We've both been adding to it here and there." Santana nods and Brittany knows she has her full attention. "As much as I love watching our money grow," She chuckles and moves her food around with her fork. "I think it's not really safe to have over a thousand dollars just sitting in our apartment." She explains and receives a curious stare from Santana.

"_Okay_." Santana drawls out and rests her arm on the table so she can lean a bit forward.

"I thought it would make sense if we put the money into a checking account." She says and Santana falls from her curious stupor and nods in understanding.

"Oh, okay." Santana relaxes her shoulders. "Well, you can put it in your bank account if you want. It does kind of make sense, that's a lot of money to have lying around." She looks down at her plate to pick out her next forkful but glances back up when Brittany slowly reaches her hand across the table to take hers. "What?"

"I meant do you wanna open a checking account _with me_?" Brittany asks through a sweet and nervous smile. "Ya know, checks with both of our names on it. It'd be _our_ money." She shrugs her shoulders and gently squeezes Santana's hand in hers.

"_Oh_." Santana breathes out and her eyes shift from Brittany's to their hands. "That's…"

"Not what you were expecting?" Brittany chances and Santana sighs out a giggle.

"Well, no." She shakes her head, realizing she is pulling them from the topic. "That's a big step." She explains. Brittany nods and rubs her thumb affectionately on the back of Santana's hand. "Not that it's a bad step, I mean… _hello_ engagement ring." Santana whispers the last part between them, rolls her eyes and practically deflates into herself because the biggest step is sitting back in their apartment in Brittany's bed side drawer. She takes a deep breath, smiles and brings her focus back to her girlfriend's face. "Can I start that over?" Brittany laughs.

"Can I explain more?" She asks and reaches for the bottle of wine to fill both of their glasses. "I want to open an account with you because somewhere down the road we're gonna be buying important things together. I think we should still have our own accounts, but I want the savings for our future to be together?" She sets the bottle back down to the table and brings her hand to cover their clasped ones. "So, what do ya think?"

"I think I should have said 'yes' five minutes ago." Santana grins and tugs at Brittany's hands bringing them to her lips to place a soft kiss to her knuckles. "Sometimes I feel like you're so much more mature than I am." She comments before picking up her fork once again and getting back to her dinner.

"That's because I am." Brittany laughs and follows suit, taking a quick bite of her food.

"Yeah, yeah." Santana waves her off. "Shush and eat your forty dollar dinner."

The couple decides to skip on dessert, agreeing that they can always have some of the chocolate ice cream that's in the freezer at home. Santana explains that she's all for splurging, but a twenty eight dollar lava cake the size of a hockey puck is pushing it. As expected, Brittany tells her to bite her tongue and that there is no price she wouldn't pay for some sugary treats. Before Santana can take a peek at the check, Brittany hands her card over to the waiter and smiles at her gaping girlfriend.

"It's such a nice night." Brittany muses when they step out onto the city sidewalk. Santana looks up at the sky, which is the clearest it has been in a long time. The stars are twinkling and the moon is almost full. She smiles at the sight and turns towards Brittany to find her enjoying the same scene.

"You're beautiful." Santana says softly and Brittany's eyes fall to her instantly.

"Well," She steps closer to Santana and brings her hands up to her shoulders. "If I'm beautiful, it's because being with you makes me so." They smile coyly at one another, Santana's fingers slowly wrap loosely around her girlfriend's wrist.

"I know this is gonna sound so corny, plus I just caught 'It's a Wonderful Life' on TV the other day." Santana scrunches her nose when Brittany laughs.

"In July?" They smirk and Santana playfully rolls her eyes. "I'm sorry. You were saying…"

"Corny as it may be, Brittany Pierce," She starts, using her best 1940's movie starlet voice. "You make me feel like the richest woman in the world."

"Aww, _my_ sweetheart." Brittany whispers in the same accent and leans in to press her lips softly against Santana's.

They stand there kissing outside on the corner of By-And-By rather than grabbing a taxi right away. Santana's hands move to Brittany's neck and her thumbs massage at her hairline. Brittany's hands move from Santana's shoulders to her hips, fingers bunching the material of her dress. The kisses are innocent enough; until they're not. When Brittany's tongue swipes across her lips, Santana giggles and pulls back.

"How 'bout we head home." She suggests, letting her hands slide down Brittany's arms until they find other hands to hold on to.

Brittany agrees even though she'd much rather continue kissing Santana under the moonlight. But, the swirling sensation in her gut tells her that going home is most definitely a good idea. The way Santana's eyes glistened when she said they should go home is what makes her body move. The cab ride isn't so long and soon enough they are in the elevator, Brittany's hand holding their clasped ones tightly. Her fingers brush and caress Santana's skin, letting them slide up and down her arm enjoying the way goose bumps rise under her touch.

Once inside their apartment, keys tossed and shoes off, Brittany comes up behind Santana and wraps her arms around her stomach. She presses her mouth to her neck and breathes out heavily against her skin. She whispers how much she misses her and places a wet kiss just below her earlobe. Santana shudders and sets her hands over Brittany's while her back arches into the body behind her. She tilts her head, giving Brittany more and better access to all her hot spots and lets out shaky breathes.

"Turn around." Brittany whines and pushes her hands into Santana's hips to turn her around to face her. When they are face to face, Santana wastes no time leaning up and putting her lips to Brittany's.

They both gasp at contact. It's a different kiss from the one outside of By-And-By. It's filled with a different kind of want and need, but a want and need that is so familiar. Hands move through hair, down arms and tug at dresses. Santana stumbles back when Brittany presses forward, but she goes with the motions and lets her girlfriend take the lead.

Soon enough, the couple find themselves on the couch with Santana straddling Brittany. A shiver runs through her body when Brittany reaches around her to unzip her dress and pulls the straps down her arms. She shuffles on her knees to bring herself as close as possible.

Brittany wraps her arms around Santana's waist and pulls her even closer. Santana's hand comes to rest at her girlfriend's cheeks and moves her fingers to chin to neck then back to cheek. With some sloppy, misplaced kisses to her neck, Santana feels Brittany breathing hard into her skin and it sends a course of emotions and arousal through her.

"Wait, Britt." Santana breathes out when she feels Brittany's hand moving up her leg under her dress. When she pulls back, Brittany is staring back at her in an aware daze. "I haven't…" She motions her hands south and her eyes flicker between their bodies. "I haven't shaved or waxed." She admits in a quiet voice. "I mean it's not, like, _chaotic_ down there or anything. But, it's…" She chuckles and shrugs her shoulders. "I wasn't really prepared for this." Brittany half smiles and dips her head to find Santana's eyes. Her hands squeeze the small waist in her grasp and her smile grows.

"I wasn't either." Brittany admits shyly, letting her hands travel tightly around Santana's lower back. "But, _I want to_." She says sincerely and Santana lets a soft smile come to her lips easily and tilts her head. "Santana, that's… I don't care. It doesn't stop me from wanting to make love to you."

"I know, I guess…" Santana twists her lips. "Like, I make it nice for you down there, 'cause it's special."

"Mhmm, it's your special place." Brittany coos with a wink and they both laugh.

"Do you know what I mean though?" Brittany nods. "I just… ugh, I don't know." Santana groans and lowers her body until she is sitting in Brittany's lap.

"Babe," Brittany runs her fingers through Santana's hair and looks deep into her eyes. "I think after you have sex with someone on their period, there's nothing else to really get self conscious about." She smirks when Santana finally cracks a smile and they both let out an airy giggle. They sit there in silence for a few moments, waiting for Santana to respond.

"Did I just ruin this?" She asks, feeling deflated that the first time they were going to have sex after months has just been shattered by her feeling slightly insecure. It is silly and Brittany is right, there really are no barriers like a little bit of hair for them when it comes to being intimate.

"_I want to_." Brittany admits and receives a bright smile in return. "But, if you…"

"_No_. I want to, too." Santana assures her and lifts her hand up so her fingers get lost in blonde hair.

"So," Brittany arches an eyebrow and licks her lips. "Kiss me."


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N:** _just a little reminder here that, while Faberry is in this story, this is a Brittana centric story. There are some things that some times takes focus away from the actual story which is obviously Brittany and Santana. Therefore, while there are a bunch of things that I would love to include, sometimes I have to re-route the focus to where it is supposed to be. Not that anything in here is irrelevant, because that is not at all the case. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. let me know what you think of it :)_

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><p>"Did I just ruin this?" She asks, feeling deflated that the first time they were going to have sex after months has just been shattered by her feeling slightly insecure. It is silly and Brittany is right, there really are no barriers like a little bit of hair for them when it comes to being intimate.<p>

"_I want to_." Brittany admits and receives a bright smile in return. "But, if you…"

"_No_. I want to, too." Santana assures her and lifts her hand up so her fingers get lost in blonde hair.

"So," Brittany arches an eyebrow and licks her lips. "Kiss me."

The corners of Santana's mouth turn up, eyes flicker to her girlfriend's lips and she leans in to close the gap between them. Brittany hums out in appreciation as Santana's lips caress her own in a gentle manner. As much as she loves the tenderness in which Santana touches and kisses her, she feels her body needing more. Her own hands tug and yank at their dresses, wanting to finally feel naked skin against naked skin.

"Let's go to the bedroom." Santana manages to breathe out between kisses. Brittany nods while she trails kisses down Santana's neck and shoulder.

They both kneel down to the bed, smiles drunk with arousal and eyes devouring the sight of the other carefully and slowly. Brittany shuffles closer, extends her arms and groans when her hands touch down onto Santana's skin. Her stomach is tight and smooth. Her arms strong but soft and she smells like everything Brittany wants and needs for the rest of eternity. She smells delicious.

"Don't be shy." Brittany says as she pulls their bodies closer together. Santana giggles as she shuffles across the bed until her body is flush against Brittany's.

"Don't tell me what to do." Santana whispers into her girlfriend's ear.

"Hmm, I thought you liked that." Brittany bites back as she slips her thigh between Santana's.

A moan slips out of Santana's mouth hitting Brittany's sensitive skin when their bodies slide against one another. Fingers run through blonde hair and hands grip tightly at tanned skin as they move together. Their kisses grow more passionate and tongues taste mouths that speak of promises and whisper 'I love you'.

"Lie on top of me." Brittany begs while her fingers dig into the flesh of Santana's backside.

A sigh of a whine pops from Santana's throat at the request and her arousal is heightened even further. They try to move as one, not wanting to have any space between them. When Brittany's head hits the pillow, Santana lowers her body down on top of her letting her mouth travel across her skin having reign to move more. She kisses a path from her cheek to her chin then her neck until she is pressing open mouth kisses down her chest between her breasts.

Brittany's hands slide up Santana's back to the sides of her face, cradling her girlfriend's head as she's being peppered with wet kisses. She bends her leg at the knee and presses her thigh up and into Santana's most sensitive spot, receiving a hiss of pleasure at contact. She grins when she feels Santana smile into her skin and pulls her face back to hers. Neither hesitates to bring their lips, swiping tongues in and out.

Her lips dance across Brittany's chest over towards her right nipple. She kisses around it, pokes her tongue out to lick and flick it. Every single touch and caress of Santana's tongue sends shivers all over Brittany's body. The top of her head tingles, her chest tightens, her stomach flutters and between her legs is pounding. Her own hands run up and down Santana's back, gripping at her ass and moving her along with the thigh she's pressing against her core.

Santana groans and grinds down into Brittany's leg, her breath hits the wet skin her mouth has just adorned with sloppy kisses. She trails her tongue along her chest bringing her lips to encircle around the other nipple, wanting to give it equal attention as she has the other. Brittany's back arches up from the bed and presses the front of her body up into Santana's.

"Touch me." Santana whines, her lips grazing Brittany's cheek. Her stomach drops at the request and her hand slides down Santana's stomach until she hits her own thigh which she moves out of the way.

They both hiss at the initial contact. Santana is surely ready for her and has been. She's hot and wet, panting against Brittany's face as she anticipates penetration. Her jaw slackens when Brittany pushes two fingers inside of her and the air gets caught in her throat. A croak of a sigh and a whimper come tumbling deep from her chest and she pushes herself forward to deepen the digits inside of her.

A strangled sound from Brittany only causes her to move her hips more frantically. The noises coming out of them increase the arousal in both of their bodies. Brittany's free hand comes to rest at Santana's hip and guides her movements. Santana's hand finds Brittany's right breast, squeezing and kneading at it as she rides towards her destination. It's been so long, she can feel that her climax is not that far away. As much as they both want to take their time to get reacquainted with one another's bodies, they cannot fight their need for this release that they have been missing.

Brittany holds her hips still and pumps quickly in and out of Santana, enjoying the sounds escaping her girlfriend's lips at each stroke. She can tell by the way Santana's breath shortens and speeds up that she is close. Brittany lifts her head from the pillow to set a sloppily placed kiss to Santana's mouth which is reciprocated by a second too late. But, that just makes her smile. She loves watching Santana come completely undone above her.

Within seconds after the kiss Brittany feels pressure around her fingers. Santana's hips buck forward two, three times and she moans out into the tiny space separating their lips. Brittany's mouth hands open, tasting the cries of pleasure spilling from her girlfriend's body as they come. As she rides out her orgasm, Santana slowly moves herself against Brittany's finger letting them slide in and out of her to make the feeling last as long as possible.

Before she can ask how she is feeling, Brittany feels Santana's fingers sliding up and down her own opening. Her eyes widen, surprised but pleased at the quick turn in events. She gives Santana a few quick rubs, before she gets a nod and then pulls her fingers out. Santana grins and now it's her turn to please Brittany.

Her fingers slide easily into Brittany, her own center pressed against the back of her hand. She jerks her hips forward and backward, using her body to finish riding her orgasm and to push her fingers deep into her girlfriend. Brittany's hands grip at her back, her fingers press into her flesh as she pulls her body down to be closer against her own. This makes it a lot easier for her to use her hips and hand at the same time.

They smile at one another through glazed over eyes and half open mouths. Dry lips are moistened by kisses and swipes of tongue, either their own or their partners. Santana whispers 'good' in a question and Brittany moans out a 'yes' with a frantic nod of her head. Their bodies' crash, push and pull harder and faster against each other both reaching their destination together; Brittany for the first and Santana for the second time.

Brittany pulls Santana's forehead against her own as her climax peaks. Cries of ecstasy pour over her lips and her breath mixes with Santana's. Her hips cant up and into Santana's hand, driving her fingers deeper inside of her and her legs clench around her girlfriend's body. She stays still, letting the waves of pleasure run through every part of her. A small creak of a whimper cracks through their heavy breathing and her body slowly relaxes and drops to the bed.

Carefully, Santana removes her fingers from inside of Brittany and lowers herself until she is barely hovering over her. She places small, quick sets of kisses along Brittany's jaw line, her chin and cheeks until she presses a final one to her lips. Santana pulls back to take in her girlfriend's current state and she lets a lazy grin take over. Brittany's tries to lift her arms, needing to use a little extra effort because they feel so heavy. She runs her finger tips up and down Santana's back as they study each other's face.

"I love you." Brittany breathes out in a raspy voice. Santana smiles, kisses her lips and clears her throat.

"I love you too, Britt." She replies with the same worn out tone.

After a few more gentle kisses, Santana shifts over and off of Brittany and they lie on their sides facing one another. Their legs entwine together, hands clasp between their bodies with fingers laced. Even though they are both exhausted, they still find enough energy in them to smile and let their eyes roam over their still sweaty and naked bodies. They shuffle their heads forward and press their lips together.

"I don't ever want to leave this room." Santana says and Brittany chuckles. They lay silent for a little while, simply enjoying the company of the other. When she shivers a little, Brittany reaches her hand down for the comforter and pulls it up to cover their naked bodies. "Have you ever thought about moving back to Lima?" Santana asks after some thinking.

"I guess." Brittany shrugs against the bed and watches as her finger trails down Santana's arm. "I mean, our families are there. I think everyone dreams of raising their own family in the place they grew up. But, I like the life we have here. Sure, we grew up in Lima, but, we grew together in New York. I'm sure that doesn't make sense." Santana smiles sweetly and pulls their clasped hands closer to her chest.

"Makes sense to _me_." She assures Brittany and brings their hands to her lips to kiss the back of her girlfriend's.

"Have you?" Brittany counters, wondering if Santana is bringing this idea up because she's had visions of them packing up to go home to Lima anytime in their future. Santana shrugs one shoulder as she lowers their hands back down between their bodies.

"I think I've thought about it only 'cause, like you said, it's where our families are." She says as she tickles up and down Brittany's arm. "I like it here too. I like all of this." Her eyes scan their room for a moment before landing back on Brittany's bright blues. "Sure, Lima is home. Always will be. But, it's my old home where I was a kid." She explains softly and moves her hand up so she can play with Brittany's hair. "Now, my home is wherever you are."

"How'd I get so lucky?" Brittany breathes out and smiles at the way Santana swipes some hair form her forehead.

"I'm the lucky one." She winks and Brittany leans in for a kiss.

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><p>Being mid-October, finding time to meet up with friends has been a little harder than it used to be. Rachel is at auditions for plays, musicals and waiting all day long just to do cold reads for commercials. When she finished school her internship stopped and the school she'd been a vocal coach assistant at let her go. She's been able to find a few things here and there from the help of Jesse St. James. Something everyone was a bit skeptical about. But, Quinn defends at least he is getting her paying gigs so it can't be that bad.<p>

Quinn and Santana are both finishing out their last semester at school, equally uncertain of their future from an occupational stance. Instead of quitting Nelson's altogether, Santana decided to get a second job. Really it's only one night she's working extra, but it's something. She talked to Garrett, the owner and bartender from Mick's, and he gave her the Tuesday night shift. Quinn cut her hours at Nelson's down and is also working at a photography studio owned by the son of her one of her professor's.

Brittany is still getting used to the new dance studio, but loves every second of it. Even though she is still teaching classes, she is able to get her own dancing in when office hours are closed. It's kind of a plus to being second in command at the studio with the perks of having her own set of keys to the place.

Regardless of their difference of schedules, the friends like to get together more than just their usual Thursday night dinners. So, they set out to meet down at Mick's for a few drinks and much needed catching up. Brittany and Santana arrive first, not even bothering to try and call the Cocktail Commander card because Rachel is busy, Kurt and Blaine are out on the island and Dina is stuck at work.

Before they can even order their drinks, Quinn comes rushing in from the street and suggests they grab a table instead of sitting at the bar. They agree and grab their coats and bags to move to one of the tables against the wall. Brittany offers to grab the first round and shoos Quinn's hand away when she tries to give her card over to open a tab.

"I know this might sound strange, but, I'm so happy you and Brittany are having sex again." Quinn comments when Brittany's back is towards them. Santana shoots her a shocked look, but it's hard not to grin like crazy which gives her away. "Not that I enjoyed walking in on you guys yesterday." She makes sure to explain. "But, a sexless Santana is no Santana _I_ want to know."

"Me neither." Santana chuckles.

"Hey guys!" Alexis, Brittany's friend from the dance studio, comes rushing towards their table and waves.

"Hey." Santana greets and leans forward when the girl opens her arms, obviously requesting a hug.

"Hey, Quinn." She moves from Santana's embrace and gives Quinn a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. "It's friggin' crazy out there." Alexis sighs and motions towards the street where she just came from.

"That's New York for ya." Santana rolls her eyes. Still after all these years living in the city that never sleeps, the pace seems to get faster and faster.

"It's so great to see you two together again." Alexis mentions after Quinn comes back with another round of drinks.

"Yes, now all is right in the world." Quinn adds with a playful roll of her eyes.

"Aww, pumpkin." Santana fakes a pout and taps her friend's arm. "Jealousy will get you nowhere." She winks and Quinn flips her middle finger up at her.

"I mean, it's not only great you're back together, but that you guys worked everything out." Santana and Brittany smile at one another because Alexis is always vocal about the things she loves, but when she's drinking the love is stronger.

"She's right though." Quinn jumps in. "You guys are grossly mature and actually _talked_ everything out. I mean, it took you over a month to have sex." Brittany nearly spits out her beer, but covers her mouth just in time so nothing comes shooting out.

"You know, I had this boyfriend from back home." Alexis starts. "But, sophomore year things were kind of getting rocky." She makes a face towards Brittany and Santana. "So, one night when he was here to visit, he suggested that maybe we needed to spice things up in the bedroom. Before I could ever come up with anything he decided on a threesome." Santana quirks an eyebrow in surprise, while still trying to maintain a sense of maturity. "At first I was kind of offended and felt like maybe I wasn't good enough. But the more I thought about it the more I realized I wanted to experience anything and everything and figured I was lucky enough to have an awesome boyfriend."

"So," Santana drawls out as she leans forward with her chin resting in her hand. "You had the threesome?"

"Oh, totally." Alexis smiles and nods. "It was hot and sexy and amazing." She sips on her straw and glances around the bar. Brittany and Santana look at one another curiously.

"Did it help your relationship?" Brittany wonders. Alexis swallows her drink and smiles a laugh, shakes her head and waves her hands in front of her.

"Oh, _not even_." She nearly chokes out. "We _so_ broke up right after. It was probably the worst idea ever." She looks between the couples. "But, I mean, that was just us. It could totally work for other couples."

"Baby, something's up with Quinn." Brittany whispers while their friends are having an exciting discussion about things they enjoy. Santana looks over at Quinn, who seems fine as she is talking to Alexis about some E! True Hollywood Story episode. But, she knows what Brittany is talking about.

"Okay, but you can't get mad at how I lure her outside." Santana tells her as she opens her clutch and pulls out a pack of cigarettes. Brittany gives her a knowing but stern look of approving disapproval. "Quinn." She calls out and taps the table to get her friend's attention. When Quinn looks over she shakes the pack of cigarettes at her and smiles when she gets a nod in response. "Be right back." She tells Brittany and gives her a quick peck on the lips before heading outside for a smoke and some needed best friend conversation.

"Thanks." Quinn breathes out smoke after Santana lights cigarette.

"So, what's up?" Santana asks through her first drag and receives a confused look. "Don't even." She arches an eyebrow, letting her friend know she can sense something is up. Quinn takes two more drags, letting the smoke come out slowly and nods her head.

"It's personal." She vaguely explains, admitting something is going on, but uncertain if it's appropriate to share.

"Oh, _please_." Santana rolls her eyes and flicks ash from her cigarette. "Now I _wanna_ know. Personal just means it's _actually_ interesting."

"You're a bitch."

"And that's why you love me." Santana smiles widely at her friend. "So, come on. Spill." Quinn flicks some ashes, clearly biding time, and shifts her feet against the pavement. She takes a deep breath and turns towards Santana.

"Not that I'm _complaining_," Quinn begins. "And I can't believe I'm sharing this, but things with Rach… in the bedroom," She raises her eyebrows, waiting to see if Santana can read between the lines and pauses, but of course she gives no response. "_Sexually_."

"Oh sweetie." Santana affectionately pats her friend on the arm. "It doesn't _have_ to happen _just_ in the bedroom." Quinn rolls her eyes, nods her head and takes a long drag.

"Tell Rachel that." She sighs.

"You know that I'm going to keep pushing your buttons, so just come out with it and embrace the uncomfortable." Santana reminds Quinn that while she is here to listen, she's also not going to play with this beat around the bush way about sharing.

"Well," She clears her throat, closes her eyes and stands up straight. "If you must know, things between us are kind of on the _vanilla_ side." When she opens her eyes she finds Santana's head tilted to the side and a curious eyebrow arched up. "_Boring_." She clarifies and Santana purses her lips and nods her head.

"How is sex boring?" Santana asks in confusion. Quinn shakes her head from side to side, realizing that of course Santana wouldn't understand how there can be a section in sex labeled 'boring'.

"I mean, it's wonderful." She backtracks, realizing what she has said and how it can be taken. "I love having sex with…" Santana holds up her hand and sucks in her lips to form a straight line across her mouth.

"Please, stop right there." Santana interrupts and tosses her cigarette only to grab another one. "Are you trying to tell me that, alone time with Berry is the same every time?"

"I mean, not exactly the same." Quinn defends, understanding that the likely of sex being the same every single time is in fact impossible.

"Are you trying to tell me that you want to spice up things between the sheets?" Santana suggests, wondering how deep this conversation is actually going to get. Quinn gnaws on her bottom lip and flicks her cigarette.

"I just… I want to try new things." She admits, annoyed with herself that she is allowing herself to resort to speaking to Santana about her sex life. Nothing stops Santana from sharing even the most intricate details of her romantic life with Brittany, but that is probably where the two friends differ the most.

"Okay." Santana claps her palm against her thigh. "I can totally help. Tomorrow, you and I will go to a sex shop and get you some sex toys." She waves it off as though she has just solved the world's problems and everyone should relax; Santana Lopez has got this covered.

"I don't think Rachel would want that." Quinn tells her and Santana can sense the nerves in her friend's voice. "She's so pure and…"

"Yeah, boring." Santana finishes the way the sentence was going to end in her mind and looks off to the side as if there is a list of ways to fix this. "Why don't you surprise her then? I surprised Britts with the strap-on the first time." She beams, once again feeling as if she has all the answers. "And actually, it was _she_ who requested such a toy." She wriggles her eyebrows and Quinn can only let out a sad little chuckle. "Look, I get your girlfriend is super uptight but," She tosses her arm around her friend and squeezes her close. "Sex is supposed to be relaxing. You're so stressed about sex being boring, you're creating stress in your sex life."

"How the hell am I supposed to fix this?" Quinn groans. Santana pulls her arm from her friend and nibbles on her finger tip as she thinks of a way to help.

"Sometimes," Santana grins to herself and glances down at the cigarette in her hand. "We laugh hysterically while having sex." She chuckles at a few memories that flash through her mind. "We have _fun_, do and say silly things." She explains with excitement, turning to catch her friend's expression under the setting sun. "We try things we've never tried before or never thought of trying. There have been times a joke scenario is brought to the bedroom… if we make it there." Quinn playfully rolls her eyes and shakes her head. She's not surprised at that statement. "But, sometimes," Santana arches an eyebrow and smirks in her friends direction. "That's the best kind of lovemaking. Sex isn't _just_ about getting off or only used to show your love for your partner. Sure, both have a lot to do with it. But, it should be fun more than anything."

Quinn looks on as her friend once more shrugs her shoulder and lifts her cigarette to her lips. Santana glances at the street in front of them and the random people out walking their dogs or their boyfriends or girlfriends or alone. She's always been so intrigued at how honest and open Santana can be with her sexuality. Maybe it wasn't always like this, but she can appreciate the way she's grown into her sexuality and matured with it.

Not just about being a lesbian, no. But, that she is a free sexual being. She doesn't stay within the lines that society has set up for what is proper and improper discussion. Quinn is Santana's best friend. Like she has said before, if she can't share the intimate details of her relationship with Brittany to Quinn, then who can she share them with? Other than Brittany of course. It's kind of the best part about having a best friend after all.

"I think a lot of people assume the relationship is what determines how or what the sex will or should be." Santana shifts in her spot and leans against the window of Mick's as she starts up again. "Like, if it's 'true love' or whatever, that it's always supposed to be this romantic, candle lit scene like from a movie. But, not only is that unrealistic, but it's boring." Quinn isn't surprised when Santana makes a face about all of this mushy talk about people's expectations of sex. In fact, it is actually kind of true. "For me, I feel it's quite the opposite in that, the sex is what determines how the relationship is and is going to be. Britt and I have such a good relationship because we trust each other and have fun in bed. She's not embarrassed to tell me when she wants to role play or if she wants to give me a 'blow job' when we bust out the strap-on." Quinn face palms herself and holds back an embarrassed chuckle while Santana swats at her to stop acting so childish.

"Oh my God." Quinn mumbles into her hand.

"Just like I'm not embarrassed to be totally down and into dressing in a cop or nurse uniform or like Jay-Z when she wants me to 'thug her out'. And I am comfortable enough in us and our relationship to feel free to get totally turned on when she gets on her knees to suck a cock I don't really have." Santana continues and smirks when Quinn once again turns her head. "You can look away all shocked at how forward I am, but, I guess you can blame Brittany for that. It's weird to say I feel free because I'm in a relationship. But, that's how she makes me feel. I'm free to be me and it's because of our sex life. Being intimate with someone is so much more than just getting naked and banging." She leans her body forward and lifts her hand, pinching her thumb and index finger together. "It's about the little things. How you can be completely vulnerable, naked in the metaphorical sense while being literally naked? I only know from what I know. And that's, if you can't be naked in every way with your partner, then how can it really work? Isn't a relationship about everything sex is about and vice versa?" She asks, even though they both know she is not ready to stop talking. "They both can be hard, soft, loud, quiet, orgasmic, exhausting, spontaneous, fun and messy. I guess sex is also a lot like life now that I think about it. If you're not fucking, you're not living."

"You should write greeting cards. The ones with inspirational speeches on 'em." Quinn comments and playfully slaps her on the forehead.

"Fine. Go ahead, mock me and dismiss my sexual wisdom. But just think about this lovely fact." She playfully shoves Quinn as they make their way towards the door. "Tonight, I'm going home to fuck my girlfriend in any and every way she lets me. Just some food for thought." She points to her own head and taps at her temple.

"And here I was, thinking I took the safe route in going to you with this situation and not Brittany." Quinn rolls her eyes at herself as she brushes by Santana and into the bar.

A few more drinks and the girls call it a night. It's not that they're old or anything, both Santana and Quinn have classes early in the morning. They've learned from past experience that hangovers are never fun during a lecture at eight thirty in the morning. Once Brittany and Santana get home they start getting ready for bed, taking turns in the bathroom before changing into their pajamas. While Santana is applying lotion to her arms and legs, Brittany moves to her side of the bed to get it ready for sleep time.

"_So_," Brittany drawls out and tugs at her side of their comforter. "Have _you_ ever thought of having a threesome?" Santana side eyes the way Brittany leans across to her side of the bed to pull down the comforter entirely.

"Not as a way to 'fix' things, that's for sure." She replies with a chuckle and grabs the two tiny show pillows from the bed and tosses them. Feeling Brittany's eyes one her, Santana glances up from the bed. "What?" She giggles out and Brittany smirks. "It's not like we've never had one before." She points out and Brittany shrugs her shoulders.

"True. But," Brittany crawls to the bed, leaning on her knees. "We weren't exactly in a relationship then either. We were two high school cheerleaders hooking up with the football team." She explains. "It's different now."

"I know." Santana takes her spot on the bed, setting her pillow right behind her back against the headboard before leaning back. "That's probably why I would never actually want to have one." She admits honestly and Brittany's smile grows wider.

"But, you've thought about it?" Brittany questions again, extra curious.

"Yes."

"Me too." Brittany tells her as she shuffles under the covers. "Except, every time I think about it we wind up having sex in front of the third person. And it's like, super hot with them watching." She pats the spot beside her for Santana to move closer.

"I think that's how most of our threesomes in high school went." Santana reminds the both of them as Brittany leans towards her lips.

"Mhmm." Brittany hums and nods into the kiss. "Probably why we were so popular." They giggle at the truth behind that statement and shake their heads at how much things have changed.

* * *

><p>Santana and Brittany are moving about in the kitchen preparing for the arrival of Quinn and Rachel for their weekly Thursday night dinner. Brittany is in front of the sink with the colander in her hand cleaning off the lettuce for the salad she is preparing while Santana opens the stove to check on the eggplant.<p>

"Babe, did you pick up that organic dressing Quinn likes?" Brittany asks, shutting off the faucet and shaking the lettuce free of water. Santana shuts the oven and looks over her shoulder to the table, perfectly set up by Brittany, and checks the dressings she has put out.

"Ugh." She grunts, her cheeks puffing out and blows out sharply. "I think we used the rest of it last week." She sighs quickly making her way over to the refrigerator to check the shelves on the door.

"I put it on the list." Brittany says softly in a sing song type of tone. Santana rolls her eyes, more to herself than to Brittany. She's right, Santana does recall scanning the list while at the store and remembers mentally checking that off assuming they still had some of that stupid salad dressing.

"Yea well, I'm sure she'll survive." She lets the refrigerator door shut behind her and she moves to the counter beside Brittany. The blonde looks up offering her girlfriend a smile and hands her the colander.

"Put that in the bowl." Brittany motions with her head, wipes her hands on her apron and moves to grab the diced tomatoes from the cutting board.

"I don't know why we have to supply her with that stuff anyway. She should carry that shit around with her if she likes it so much." Santana complains, moving aside from the salad bowl and watches as Brittany adds other vegetables to it. "And _you know_. You go to lunch with her as much as I do, that she is totally that woman that always gets her dressing on the side." Her eyes roll, trying her hardest to push aside the memories of the days she herself was a waitress and had to deal with the Quinn 'dressing on the side' Fabray's of NYC.

"Baby, you do this every week." Brittany giggles to herself, shaking her head while she grabs the large serving fork and spoon for the salad and mixes it all up. "And you know you're just going to complain for a few more minutes and then, maybe stomp around a little depending on how you're feeling today," She looks over her shoulder at that comment and winks at Santana. "That you're going to take that cute little butt of yours and go down to the store and get that dressing for Quinn." She explains in a roundabout way the way this situation always plays out. "So, save us both the energy and skip all this other stuff and go straight to the part where you're back here, dressing in hand." She turns around, tilts her head and shoots Santana a cute little smirk. Santana grins, shakes her head and steps to the blonde placing her hands on her girlfriend's hips.

"Be back in five." She says and quickly pecks Brittany on the lips before grabbing her keys and heading out. "Oh and Britt," Santana calls out turning back from the door and catches Brittany's curious eyes. "Don't touch the stove." She winks and vanishes into the hallway leaving Brittany smirking to herself and shaking her head.

Santana hustled down the stairs twirling her key ring on her finger and busting through the double doors to their apartment building and into the setting sun in the city. She pauses for a brief second looking left and then right debating which way would be faster. Quick decision time she turns left and walks quickly to the store on the corner.

The sidewalks were busy as usual for this time in the day, people brushing by with their briefcases and on their phones having business related conversations or just talking to their husbands and wives. It was the after work rush and it had been something Santana had grown fond of over the past few years. She grins to herself as she hears the tail end of a conversation from a man in a suit with his tie nearly undone and his hair all messed up, something about a cat and a dryer.

"Hey Santana." The store clerk greets when she crosses over the threshold of the tiny grocery store just down the block from their apartment building.

"Hey Johnny." She smiles kindly and offers a nod rather than a wave and proceeds down the aisle where the salad dressings are.

Santana never understood most of what Johnny says and she is pretty certain that just like 'Jenny' the woman who does her nails a few doors down that 'Johnny' is in fact not his real name. But, she shrugs those random, often occurring thoughts to the back of her mind knowing they will return the next time she visits Shiny Nails and stares at 'Jenny's' plaque on the wall that most definitely does not say 'Jenny' on it.

Her eyes scan the shelves, forgetting the exact location of Quinn's special order dressing and finally stop when she spots the familiar looking container. She scoops it up and goes to turn when her phone starts going off in her pocket.

"Yo." She greets, half smirking and half rolling her eyes because she knows what's coming next.

"Baby, can you pick up olives?" Brittany asks in a hurry and Santana chuckles at the background noises from the other end.

"Yeah, what kind?" She is already moving down the aisle and stops right in front of the needed purchase, her hand already reaching out obviously knowing the answer.

"Green." Brittany tells her certainly.

"Alright, got em'." Santana grips the jar of olives in one hand with the dressing firmly placed under her arm and with the other hand holding the phone to her ear. "We need anything else?"

Six minutes and five other items later, Santana is standing at the counter getting her goods rung in by Johnny. He grins at her as he scans each item making small talk about what she was up to this evening.

"Thanks." She calls out and heads for the door.

"Bye bye Santana, tell Brittany I say 'hi'." She nods at the older Asian man and gives him a wave before falling in step with the rest of the New York City population.

The walk home seems quicker and she takes the steps to the apartment two at a time. Her eyebrows scrunch and her nose crinkles when she hears loud noises coming from her apartment. Swiftly she busts the door open to find her girlfriend jumping up and down, a beat red Rachel and a super smiling Quinn.

"What's going on?" Santana calls out loudly trying to be heard over Brittany's squeals of obvious delight. She shuts the door behind her and the trio turns to acknowledge her presence.

"Rachel and Quinn are engaged." Brittany replies ecstatically moving her attention from her girlfriend and back to the ring on Rachel's finger.

"_Why_?" Santana asks incredulously and gets a rather irritated look from Quinn.

"Hmm, I guess we'll take that as congratulations." Quinn shakes her head. Santana's mouth opens and closes finally moving herself from the spot in front of the door.

"No, I mean… ugh, yeah congratulations, of course." She back pedals her words and her initial reaction. She walks past them and places the bag of goods on the table in the kitchen.

"Santana you have to see this ring." Brittany exclaims lifting Rachel's hand in the air to get Santana to join them. "It's just the most beautiful thing ever." She coos and her eyes sparkle as she stares at the rock. Santana sidles up next to the blonde taking Rachel's hand in her own and studies the ring carefully.

"Hmm, nice job Quinn." Her lips twist and she turns around letting Brittany take Rachel's hand once again. Quinn watches Santana flee into the kitchen at begin to unpack the dressing, olives and other various things Brittany made her buy and she moves to join her in.

"What is wrong with you now?" Quinn asks, leaning up against the doorframe and crossing her arms over her chest. Santana pays no mind, not even lifting her head to look at the girl and she shrugs her shoulders.

"Nothing, this is good news. Good for you." She says easily enough. "I'm happy for you." Quinn quirks an eyebrow noticing how her friend won't look at her.

"Look," Her voice is low and she moves further in to the kitchen. "I get it." It's not a lot of words and in all honesty it's very vague, but Santana knows what she is talking about and she finally looks up to meet her friends stare. "I'm sure you're nervous this will stir up old fights or bad memories or whatever but… well shit, Santana, the world doesn't revolve around you." Her hands fall down hard to her sides that they slap her thighs. Santana jerks her head back, her eyes boring deep into Quinn's. "And if I'm being honest here, you made me realize that I can't just sit back and take things as they come. If I want it I gotta grab it and take it." She shrugs her shoulders, relaxing once again. "Besides, it's not like I'm stealing your thunder or anything. We both know you weren't going to use that ring anytime soon anyway, you said so yourself."

"That's not the point." Santana finally snaps back at her.

"Then what is?" Quinn challenges and after a few moments of silence she decides to continue. "Look, I know about the ring, Brittany knows about the ring but you're not ready and that's okay. Especially with everything that happened this past year." She explains and Santana rolls her eyes a little. "I know… you guys are probably going to have 'that' talk about that ring tonight after we leave but I promise you it's going to be alright." She smiles and Santana huffs while she crumples the plastic bag into a ball and puts it under the sink beside the trash can.

"Proposing to her doesn't suddenly make her accept your career or life choices." Santana explains with a sigh. Quinn's smile fades and her brow furrows. "She's still gonna think you're wasting your time. I mean, fuck Q, she's still giving you shit about your pink hair."

"She says she doesn't care."

"Please."

"Why can't you just be happy for me?" Quinn asks, her excitement slowly deflating. Santana's shoulders slump and eyes fall to the counter.

"Of course I'm happy for you." Santana assures her, letting her eyes meet Quinn's. "If you are in fact happy. I just… you're the one who reminded me that proposing wasn't a way to fix things with Britt. I guess I'm just afraid that's exactly what you're doing."

"Santana," Quinn steps closer to the counter and reaches down to cover her friend's hand with her own. "I love her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I _am_ happy." They stare at one another for a few moments, both trying to gauge each other's expression. Santana twists her lips, eyes reading her friend's and she nods. "Great." Quinn claps and smiles. "Now that that's all settled come get a better look at the bling I bought my baby."

"Please don't ever say bling again Fabray, it so does not suit you." Santana advises as she brushes past her friend and back out to Rachel and Brittany.


	39. Chapter 39

"So," Santana says slowly as she sits back into the couch, glass of wine in hand. "What kind of wedding are you having?" She asks, quirking an eyebrow in Quinn's direction. Of course, the couple is all smiles at the newest development in their relationship, but this not so subtle dig does not fly over Quinn's head.

"We haven't really gotten that far yet." Quinn replies as she pulls Rachel's hand into her lap.

"Actually, I've been preparing for this day since I was seven and used my Barbie dolls as bridesmaids, wedding planners and florists." Rachel chimes in, the cheer and absolute glee oozing out of her. Santana looks over at Brittany who is sitting on the arm of the couch beside her and widens her eyes in faux excitement.

"Why am I _not_ surprised?" She mumbles to her girlfriend who gently taps her shoulder as if to tell her to keep her little jabs to herself.

"Are you going to have a summer wedding?" Brittany wonders and takes a quick sip from her glass.

"Guys, it's not like we're getting married tomorrow." Quinn interjects, quickly growing tired of the third degree. "Right now we're celebrating this big step." She clinks her glass to her beaming fiancé and they share a sweet kiss before sipping their wine.

"Yeah," Brittany drawls out as she pushes herself from the side of the couch. "I'm gonna finish dinner." She tells the group before she vanishes into the kitchen.

Santana twists her lips as she watches Brittany move about the kitchen and then turns her attention back to her friends who she assumes she's supposed to entertain. Instead, she crinkles her nose and jerks her head back at the sight of her friends practically making out on her couch. She clears her throat and quietly excuses herself to go and help Brittany in the kitchen.

"Brittany." Santana whispers to get her girlfriend's attention.

Brittany looks up from the salad bowl in her hands and gives Santana a look. It's a look Santana has seen a bunch of times. It's the one that tells her that Brittany is thinking exactly what she is thinking, but that it's better to slap on a smile right now. Her eyes widen a little, her lips are slightly pushed together but not pursed. Then, to end their silent conversation, she breathes out through her nose and goes back to placing the salad bowl on the table.

Since she now knows that she and Brittany are on the same wavelength, she follows suit and slips oven mitts on to move the tray of eggplants parmesan to the table. Brittany had been thrown completely off track with the news of their friends' impromptu engagement. She'd wished she didn't make Santana run to the store when she did.

When they shared the news, which was instantly, her shock dragged the apartment into complete silence. There were so many things on the tip of her tongue, but instead of saying any of them she smiled and acted excitedly happy for them. How was she supposed to come out and tell them they were making a colossal mistake? Surely she is in no place to tell them how to have a stable and functional relationship. All relationships are different. But, theirs had been skating on thin ice as of recent and a diamond does not a rocky boat steady.

"Are we ready?" Santana asks, leaning on the back of one of the chairs that Brittany is standing beside. She watches her girlfriend take in a few breathes, letting them out slowly as though preparing herself for the rest of the evening. "Here." Santana grabs Brittany's wine glass and hands it over to her. "Toss this back." She rubs Brittany's back as she does indeed throw back the rest of her wine in one swift move. "Okay bitches, dinner's ready." She hollers from the kitchen and turns towards the spot beside the refrigerator to grab a new bottle of wine.

"It smells even more delicious than it did in the living room." Rachel comments with a giddy smile. She pulls out Quinn's chair for her and sets a sweet kiss to her cheek before taking her own seat beside her.

"Santana's been planning on eggplant parm all week." Brittany mentions while she provides everyone's plate with a nice helping of the night's dinner. "Ever since the last time we went to LaRocco's she's wanted to try it out."

"And hopefully it's just as good." Santana chimes in, enjoying her meal at sight before jumping in to devour it.

"It looks amazing." Quinn points out before reaching to the middle of the table for that organic salad dressing she's obsessed with.

"Oh, honey." Brittany turns to Santana and presses her fingers gently to her forearm. "I forgot to tell you that I have to go into the studio earlier than usual tomorrow. Something about a meeting." She shrugs her shoulders and shakes her head realizing she doesn't quite remember what it is she is going in early for. Santana smiles and nods regardless of the reason, appreciative of the heads up.

"Did you guys hear about Mercedes?" Rachel asks the couple and Quinn turns wide eyes to her friends awaiting their response. Both Santana and Brittany shake their heads, scooping food into their mouth.

"She got a record deal." Quinn blurts out in excitement. Santana coughs with a full mouth and pulls her hand up to keep any bits of food from popping out. Brittany squeals as she swallows her food and taps the table with her hand.

"Wow." Santana manages to get out before reaching for her wine glass to help the eggplant go down smoother with the surprise stuck in her throat.

"Yeah, apparently she's working on putting together a video." Rachel explains. "Kurt found out last night. She called him to see if he was interested in doing the costume designs for it." She beams like a proud mama at the thought of her two high school friends coming together to make both of their dreams come true. Brittany eyes Rachel, wondering if perhaps all the diva-like things she's pulled lately that maybe these years away from trying to be the only shining star in the New Directions has made her actually grow up and be genuinely happy for others. "Of course I was a little shocked when I wasn't asked to take part in the video. But, I'm sure it's because we would have creative differences on how she would want it to go. No hard feelings." She flicks her hair to the side and continues to eat her dinner. Well, Brittany is obviously wrong because there's always going to be a way for Rachel to bring everything good that happens to other people back to her. It only reminds her more of how her friend has been behaving this past year.

"Well, maybe it's not that. Maybe it's because this is supposed to brighten her star and not yours." Brittany points out and Santana doesn't even try to hide the grin that creeps up. Rachel's head snaps up in Brittany's direction and tilts to the side in confusion. "Besides, aren't you trying to be a big Broadway stat? Surely a music video wouldn't do much for _you_ like it would for someone who is in music."

"Broadway _is_ music too, Brittany." Rachel defends.

"I don't think that's what she meant by that sweetie." Quinn says as she affectionately pats her girlfriend's hand.

"It's a different kind of music." Santana pipes in and leans back in her chair, wine glass in hand. "Show tunes aren't exactly in the iTunes top ten." She explains and slowly sips her wine, staring at Rachel over the glass.

"Broadway shows have some of the most well known songs in the world." Rachel tells the entire table, even though after years of being in the high school glee club, none of them really need to be told this. "Show tunes are highly popular."

"Name the last time a show tune has been played on Z100's top forty." Santana challenges with a smirk.

"I think we can all agree that, although show tunes can be popular, they are not the kind of songs that are on the radio." Quinn tries to defuse a tense situation before it gets taken to the next level. After a few moments, the other three shrug and get back to their dinner, agreeing to disagree.

"_Anyway_," Santana drawls out as she pours Brittany some more wine as per requested by hand gestures. "Brittz and I are going to visit my brothers at school next weekend. They invited us to some party."

"Yeah, and it's been a while since we've been to a college party." Brittany jokes with a giggle and nudges Santana's shoulder with her own.

"We were gonna invite you guys to come, but now that you're all old and engaged…" Santana mocks with a playful eye roll as she sets the nearly empty wine bottle down to the table.

"_Very funny_." Quinn counters with that sweet sarcasm of hers.

"Jell-o shots, kegs, beer pong and you two dry humping on some frat guys' couch? Where do we sign up?" Rachel asks with her own version of dry humor.

"Nic and Manny aren't in a frat." Brittany tells their friends and Quinn chuckles.

"Oh, well then, all of that other stuff except you guys are dry humping on someone's futon." She jokes.

"I'm beginning to think they just want to see us dry humping." Santana tells Brittany and wriggles her eyebrows suggestively at her girlfriend.

"Please," Quinn holds her hand up as though to stop the conversation from going any further. "If I never walk in on you two doing ungodly things to one another again, I will surely die of shock and pure happiness."

"Perhaps you should start knocking." Santana points out, getting a devilish grin from her girlfriend who leans over and rests her hand to her thigh.

"Or maybe you two should start locking the door." Quinn suggests.

"Or, I don't know, have sex in the bedroom like normal people." Rachel adds as she pulls her salad bowl to her plate. Santana and Brittany's laughter slowly fades and they send one another one of those silent conversation looks.

Santana had told Brittany about the sex conversation she'd had with Quinn outside of Mick's last week, the night that it had happened. And while the retelling of the conversation revved up their engines to the point that they were practically naked before they even got into their apartment, apparently it did not work for the other couple as it had been intended. Not that Santana was trying to turn Quinn on by explaining the sexual escapades she and Brittany get involved in. But, surely she had expected them to venture outside of their comfort zones. Clearly, there was no venturing which only makes this whole engagement even stranger.

"Oh come on." Santana clears her throat and shuffles her chair closer to Brittany's and drapes her arm around her shoulders. "You can't tell me you two haven't had a quickie in the car when you first got together." Judging from the looks she's getting from the couple, she doesn't need much of an answer. She figured making light of public sex might help her best friend get some outside of Rachel's comfort zone which apparently is strictly in the bedroom.

"Remember that time at the movies?" Brittany coos in her girlfriend's ear and she smiles at the shy smile she gets in response.

"You guys had sex in a movie theater?" Rachel blurts out in shock and a small tinge of disgust. Not disgust for them really, but for the fact that so many other people's body parts have been on those chairs.

"No one else was there." Santana explains, as if that makes it okay. "It was a matinee."

"You guys have no shame." Quinn laughs out before finishing her drink. Brittany and Santana smirk at one another while Rachel looks on pretty much mortified.

"Rachel," Brittany calls to her friend when she finally tears her eyes from Santana. "What are you gonna do if you have to do a sex scene on stage?" She asks, actually curious for what her friends answer is going to be.

"Well, Brittany." Rachel dabs the corners of her mouth with her napkin and adjusts in her seat. "If I were to do a sensual scene on stage, I'm sure it would be choreographed tastefully."

"A choreographed sex scene?" Brittany crinkles her nose. "That sounds super boring." Quinn coughs into her freshened glass of wine, and it goes unnoticed by Rachel and Brittany, but not Santana who holds her laughter back in a tight lipped grin.

"Yeah," Santana agrees, leaning her head comfortably into Brittany's. "Imagine having to perform the _same_ sex scene over and over again, night after night?" She shoots Quinn a knowing, wide eyed stare before turning to press her lips to Brittany's temple.

"Is Kurt going to L.A. to meet up with Mercedes?" Brittany wonders, realizing she'd forgot to ask that question before.

"Oh," Rachel finds herself backpedalling in her brain, going through the conversation she'd had with Kurt yesterday. "I think she said she was coming to him. Which, I think, we should definitely have a little gathering for her visit."

"I'm so very down to catch up with Wheezy." Santana raises her glass at the suggestion. "As long as it doesn't involve having to listen to you begging her for a part in her video and or an undeserved shout out in a song or in the jacket of her yet to be produced album."

"I'll have you know that my voice and Mercedes' mesh so very well together. Looking back on it, I'm sort of surprised that she and I never had the chance to duet more." Rachel sighs out dejectedly. Santana furrows her brow and jerks her head back and away from Brittany's.

"Umm, maybe that's because anytime _anyone_ else wanted to sing, you challenged them to a diva-off and, oddly enough, even when you didn't win that you still managed to get the solos." Santana spits out with some reserved animosity.

"That's probably because Mr. Schu realized what a star Rachel is." Quinn explains with ease and tucks some of Rachel's hair behind her ear. Brittany looks to Santana as if asking if this is real life.

"Here's a reality check and I'll make it out to the both of you," Santana interrupts their sweet little stare down with each other. "This isn't high school anymore. The only reason Mr. Schu gave Rachel anything was because if he didn't, then none of us would ever hear the end of it." Brittany nods along, agreeing with everything thus far. "Also, your delusional attempt at reeling us into this Team Rachel Takeover is not going to happen. You're talented Rach, I'll give you that. But at least make it on your own and be happy for Mercedes."

"There's nothing wrong with getting help from friends who are doing well for themselves." Rachel defends.

"No, but there's also something to be said about stealing someone's thunder." Brittany points out and this is when Quinn's head tilts to the side and she turns her focus to Santana.

"What about Kurt?" Rachel goes on, both she and Brittany unaware of their girlfriend's glaring at each other. "He gets to get recognized by helping Mercedes, but I can't?"

"No." Brittany replies without hesitation.

"What's going on?" Quinn mumbles over at Santana who just shrugs her shoulders and shakes her head.

"And why's that Brittany?" Rachel challenges.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Santana says under the loud voice of Rachel Berry and Quinn just huffs out in defeat.

"Because, she didn't ask you to be a part of it." Brittany tells her honestly.

The room falls silent and they all stare back at one another. Rachel breaks the quiet by shifting in her seat, then by Quinn who clears her throat and moves her hand down to her girlfriend's thigh, giving it a light squeeze. Santana clicks her tongue and tickles her fingers down Brittany's arm that is lifting her wine glass to her lips.

"Who wants dessert?" Santana asks, using her upbeat let's-just-drop-this-shit voice. Quinn nods, figuring it's also in the room's best interest to move on with the night. There's no use getting into a tiff about any of this stuff right now.

"Let us clean up." Rachel offers as she pushes her chair back and slaps on a smile, also thankful for the change in subject. When Santana and Brittany don't fight her, she begins to collect the dirt dishes from the table and sets them into the sink to soak. "I have to apologize for my behavior." Rachel sighs and her tone tells the group that this is hard for her to do. "I guess the frustration of unaired commercial gigs and constant 'we'll be in touch' comments from casting directors is getting the best of me." She explains. Santana and Brittany exchange glances, obviously feeling bad for having said everything they've just said now. "I am happy for Mercedes, there's no question about it. I guess I'm a bit jealous as well. I've been dreaming of my Broadway debut since before I could speak. You know, I was singing by the age of two." She reminds them.

"They understand. Right guys?" Quinn looks to her friends as she hands Rachel some of the pans and utensils. Both Brittany and Santana hum out responses which are accompanied by nods.

It is understandable, they get it. They lived with Rachel for a while so they know her passion is hard. Hell, they've known this since high school. It is no surprise to them how badly Rachel craves to be something in the entertainment world. They've walked in on her practicing her Tony Award acceptance speech more times than they can count. So, her ambition towards stage stardom is not lost on them.

"Why don't we do cake and coffee in the living room?" Brittany suggests as she settles her now empty glass of wine down to the table and pushes her chair back.

"That's sounds perfect babe." Santana smiles and grabs onto Brittany's hand as a way to pull herself up from her seat. "You guys go inside and I'll set up the coffee maker." She shoos the three of them out of the kitchen and is not very surprised to find Quinn doesn't budge. "If you're gonna stay, you're gonna help."

"Why are you guys acting weird?" Quinn asks, her voice low enough to only be heard by Santana who looks over her shoulder at her friend as though she's crazy.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Santana says, sending a quick glance over her shoulder and into the living room where Rachel and Brittany are chatting animatedly on the couches. "We're having a fun night. We're all friends here." Santana explains as she scoops some coffee into the filter.

"You know what? I'm gonna accept that." Quinn almost breathes out and sets her hands on her hips. "I'm here with my best friends, my _fiancé_ and even your attitude can't ruin this perfect thing." She spins around and soon it's just Santana standing alone in the kitchen filling the water into the coffee maker.

Dessert goes better than dinner had, probably because all of the wine is flowing nicely through their systems at this point and they are all too tired to use it as angry fuel. Their conversation jumps from school to Halloween and then to Thanksgiving which Santana and Brittany are contemplating having family over. Of course, Santana points out, they will have to move a few things around to have so many people over for a Thanksgiving dinner, but that they can turn their living room into the dining room easily enough.

With full bellies, the foursome decide to call it a night after the fourth time Brittany yawns and complains about having to go into the studio at six in the morning. Quinn laughs, commenting on how Brittany is the one who is old and not them. Santana of course rolls her eyes at her friends attempt at humor and basically leads them to the door as her response. They all hug one another, which they always joke is silly because they are going to most likely see each other the next day anyway.

When Brittany closes the door after Rachel and Quinn leave, she spins around and lets out a loud sigh. Santana leans in the doorway of the kitchen and the hallway and quirks an eyebrow in her direction. She watches the way Brittany dully cleans up the coffee cups from the table and moves from her spot to grab the plates, seeing as her girlfriend needs help.

"_So_?" Santana says in a questioning manner as she cleans up. After setting the cups into the dishwasher, Brittany puts her hands on her hips and tilts her head to the side.

"_What is Quinn thinking_?" She blurts out after holding it in for hours.

"_Right_?" Santana sighs out and it's like all the tension she'd been holding in the past couple of hours has come out in that one word.

"I really hate to say this, but this is the worst idea ever." Brittany shakes her head and leans her hands on the counter top behind her.

"I know." Santana nods in agreement and gnaws on her bottom lip as she replays everything that has transpired this evening.

"I feel like all this time we've been in New York, we've all grown." Brittany starts, but pauses as she twists her lips, thinking of how to express her thoughts. "And even with all our twists and turns, we've grown together. But, it feels like Quinn and Rachel have been growing apart." She looks up at Santana to gauge her reaction to such a statement. It's obvious that her girlfriend too feels the same. Brittany lets out an unamused laugh and turns back to the sink to grab the soaking dishes to put into the dishwasher. "You'd think they would have learned from _us_. I mean, we didn't just _get_ engaged after everything that happened." She comments and Santana moves to stand beside her at the sink. "I know it's different, but…"

"This is such a big step and not in the right direction for either of them." Santana continues for her, figuring she was thinking on the same level. Brittany pauses her motions at the sink, her shoulders slump and she looks to her left where Santana is. She smiles softly at her girlfriend and leans over, puckering her lips. Santana grins and presses her lips to Brittany for a short but sweet kiss.

"Are we supposed to say something?" Brittany asks, turning her attention back to the few dishes in the soapy sink. Santana sucks in her lips and reaches her hands in to grab a plate to give to Brittany.

* * *

><p>The next day, Brittany is rushing to Nelson's to meet with Santana and Rachel for a Berry-vention. Well, that's what Santana has been calling it all morning. Her early morning meeting was a wonderful surprise and as much as she can't wait to tell Santana her big and pretty amazing news, she has to think of the task at hand.<p>

All day she has been going over what she is going to say to Rachel. There's no way she or Santana can just come out and tell her that she and Quinn are making a mistake. There's also no way that they can tell her that she is too young, especially because of the ring that is sitting in Brittany's bedside table. She and Santana have been together, officially, about as long as Quinn and Rachel. So, any of their arguments are almost invalid based on those details.

But, she's pretty confident that honesty is always the best policy. With that in mind, she figures that is exactly how she is going to go about this. And with someone like Rachel, sometimes honesty is best served straight forwardly. It's how most people communicated with Rachel in high school and she turned out into a pretty decent human being, for the most part. But this past year has managed to turn Rachel back into the star hungry, self obsessed, McKinley Rachel from their high school days.

When she walks through the doors at Nelson's, she quickly spots her girlfriend walking from the kitchen towards a table. She sees Rachel sitting down at said table and makes her way over. Santana smiles when she notices Brittany walking towards her and reroutes her body to head to her instead of Rachel.

"Hey." She purrs and pulls Brittany in for a kiss by her sweatshirt. "How was your meeting?" Santana asks excitedly and rubs her thumb across the bottom of Brittany's lower lip to wipe away her smudged lip gloss. "You said it was really good." Brittany smiles and grabs Santana's hands then squeezes them gently.

"I'll tell you later." She whispers and then nods to Rachel who is keeping herself busy with her phone. "Hey, Rach." Brittany brushes past her girlfriend and over to the table her friend is sitting at. Rachel looks up from her phone and smiles, leaning over in her chair as Brittany bends down to place a friendly kiss to her cheek.

"Hello." Rachel replies and places her phone back into her bag. "Sorry in advance if my phone goes off, I have been talking to my dads all morning." She beams up at her friends and wriggles her ring finger. Santana and Brittany look from the ring and to each other, both wondering how the Berry men have taken the news.

"Oh, what'd they have to say?" Santana dives right into it.

"They are most definitely pleased with my choice in life partner, though they are a bit worried that we're far too young to make such a commitment to one another." She explains in only the way Rachel Berry can. "Of course I reminded them that Quinn and I have been together for a while now, and although marriage is a huge step it does not at all diminish the love and commitment we have." Santana does her best to not gag and or roll her eyes. But before she can even come up with a response to all of this, Brittany beats her to the punch.

"Rachel," Brittany interrupts before Rachel can continue on her own little rant. "I'm gonna give you some tough love right now." She begins and Santana's eyes widen because she's heard Brittany start a speech like this before. "I think that there are a lot of things in your relationship that need attention other than Rachel Berry." Rachel jerks her head back, not at all expecting lunch to go in this direction. "I mean, can you honestly say that what you and Quinn have is a stable, understanding and mature partnership? Sometimes, I forget that you're even dating Quinn because all you talk about is yourself and how the world affects you." Santana leans back in her chair, confident that Brittany pretty much has this handled.

"I don't understand." Rachel stammers, looking back and forth between the two girls sitting across from her. "Is this why you invited me for lunch? To sit there and tell me that mine and Quinn's relationship isn't like yours? News flash, nobody's relationship is like yours." She desperately defends.

"Be that as it may, do you really think jumping into an engagement is the way to revive your otherwise dull relationship?" Brittany counters, leaning her elbows onto the table and rests her chin in her hands.

"Who said my relationship is dull?" Rachel asks, looking from Brittany to Santana and then back to Brittany. "Did Quinn say our relationship is dull?"

"No." Santana laughs and shakes her head, hoping that by playing aloof will bring them back to the original point of this conversation.

"Yes." Brittany instantly retracts Santana's 'no' with a confident nod of her head. "She said your sex life is dull."

"That's not exactly what she said." Santana defends, leaning forward before the lid blows of this boiling pot.

"See." Rachel looks to Brittany but motions towards Santana. "You obviously heard wrong."

"I thought Quinn asked you for tips in the bedroom." Brittany says between her and Santana, but of course since Rachel is sitting right across from them she hears her and her eyes widen in horror. "Look Rachel, we love you and care about you." She reaches her hand over and taps her friends hand with her fingers. "It's just that… maybe you guys are rushing in to things." Rachel stares at her friends.

"I get it." Rachel chuckles out after a few seconds of gaping at Brittany. "Okay, okay. You guys," She points to the couple. "I'm so sorry. You two are probably upset and feel like we took it away from you." Rachel sighs and her shoulders relax feeling as though she's figured them out.

"Umm," Santana shifts in her seat. "Actually Berry, we're upset because you_ don't_ get it." She says.

"What Santana means is that, your dads are right." Brittany vaguely explains. "You _are_ too young and we don't think _you_ truly grasp the concept of commitment." Rachel's eyebrows shoot up to her hairline and her eyes flicker over in Santana's direction. "In high school before you and Quinn started dating, I used to pretend that you were together. Ya know, all those times you and Quinn were at Breadstix with me and Santana or went to the movies with us." Brittany bites on her bottom lip and sends a quick glance over at Santana before continuing. "_Now_, I pretend you guys aren't dating. I feel like me and Santana are your totally non-related children who have a lot of sex and you and Quinn are our parents who are sexless and on the brink of divorce."

Rachel looks down at the table and lets out a long sigh. She bobs her head up and down a few times and watches the way her thumbs fumble over one another. The ring on her finger sparkles under the bright lights of Nelson's and quickly catches her eye. She tilts her head to the side, admiring the newest jewel in her collection.

"Did Quinn say something to you about this?" Rachel asks, finally looking up to find her friends shaking their heads almost in unison. "So, she didn't come to you with concerns or complaints about _me_ or even ask your advice about us getting married?" She questions further, already knowing the answer, because it's the same one they had for the first question. Brittany and Santana look at each other and then shake their heads again. "I get that you two have your own way of doing things in your relationship and that works for you. But, my relationship with Quinn is different. Not only is it different but it's mine. And the next time I want your opinions I'll ask for it." She grabs her bag and jacket and swiftly gets up from the table. The couple watches her until she fades into the traffic of people on the sidewalk.

"I did not foresee this." Brittany whispers to herself, but Santana hears and shakes her head, agreeing at her assessment.

"Were we mean?" Santana wonders, imagining rage filled phone calls and texts she may receive through the day from Quinn.

"Baby, it's called tough love for a reason." Brittany tells her, even if she's also trying to make herself feel better for being brutally honest with Rachel.

"Do you still wanna eat here?" She asks with tired uncertainty.

"Sure." Brittany reaches out for one of the menus sitting in the middle of the table, even though she knows the menu inside and out and gets the same thing every time.

"Grilled cheese with fries and bleu cheese it is." Santana says, already knowing her girlfriend's order and she goes to one of her coworkers who is their server for the afternoon. Brittany giggles at the way Santana knows her so well. "Okay, it's in. Now, tell me how the meeting went."

"So," Brittany can't control her smile, because this is definitely some exciting and uplifting news especially after the horrible way the conversation with Rachel went. "I didn't want to tell you over the phone or through text and definitely not until after we talked to Rachel." She explains why it has taken her so long to share the fantastic that was her morning. "The meeting this morning was my own personal meeting with an agent." Santana smiles, already loving the news. "He represents an artist who is interested in me to choreograph their new music video." Santana's eyes grow as wide as saucers and her jaw drops. "We were in my office and then guess who walks through the door?"

"No." Santana breathes out in disbelief.

"Mercedes Jones." Brittany tells her, only putting fact to her already wild running thoughts.

"No shit!" Santana shouts and gets a few odd looks from the patrons in Nelson's.

"I guess when she talked to Kurt, he told her where I work and what I've been doing these past couple of years. She actually said even if I wasn't doing anything with dance, she would have found me and begged me to take the job." Brittany explains in some detail as to how her not so little meeting went this morning. Santana can only stare at her, still dumbfounded. "Also, the reason she came here to meet with Kurt and obviously me, is because she's shooting the video here. Which is great because it would mean I don't have to leave you." Santana scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"Baby, even if you had to fly across the world, I'd want you to take this job. This is a crazy opportunity." She beams, unable to hold her joy. "Please tell me you are gonna do this."

"Well," She starts slowly, tilting her head from side to side. "I'd have to take some time off from the studio." She explains with a twist of her lips and a dash of uncertainty in her eye. "Plus, there are all these legal papers I have to go over before I can even begin to really think about it. I mean, I'd have to get an agent and all this other stuff."

"What about Mercedes' agent? Obviously he's an agent in the entertainment industry, so wouldn't dance be considered entertainment?" Santana wonders if there is actually a difference when it comes to being someone's agent.

"He said he might be interested in taking me on as a client and that if I sign on to take this job, he'd take me on as a temporary client, just until the video comes out." Brittany's happiness is fiercely pouring from ever part of her being and Santana can't find it in her not to mirror it all. "Then after, it'd be official."

"_My_ beautiful lady is having _all_ of her dreams come true." Santana muses with a slight shake of her head. It's absolutely incredible to her how everything Brittany has been dreaming of is coming her way. She sincerely couldn't be prouder. "And I will personally look over all of that legal crap. How does that sound?"

"Thank you." Brittany says sweetly and leans over to press a soft kiss to Santana's lips.

"Mmm." Santana hums onto her lips before pulling back. "While you were having life changing meetings, _I_ was talking to my mother all morning." She raises her eyebrows and slaps a fake smile, which Brittany can't help but laugh at. "She said that she and my dad are happy to come here for Thanksgiving."

"Really? Even though they're coming here for your graduation in December?" Brittany asks with controlled enthusiasm. Santana nods, this time smiling for real.

"Plus, my brothers are closer to us anyway and they've been dying to get their NYC nightlife on." She explains.

"They do know we're gonna drag 'em to a gay bar right?" Brittany slyly asks, as though Nic and Manny are sitting across from them.

"For straight boy reasons I will never understand, they are more than excited to be taken to a gay bar." She rolls her eyes, still not quite sure how her brothers get through this crazy thing called life. "I think they think it's gonna be all hot girl on girl."

"They _do_ understand their sister is gonna be there, right?" Brittany points out in confusion.

"Who knows? They are gross college boys. I expect nothing less of them." She comments as their food finally arrives and she eyes up her cobb salad is if it was Brittany naked on their couch at home. "What about your side?" Santana questions, wondering how these Thanksgiving plans are panning out.

"Oh, my parents were in as soon as I brought it up." Brittany exclaims as she digs into her grilled cheese. "And I told them that Jaime can stay with us." She adds after her first bite.

"I can't believe she's a teenager." Santana's eyes widen at the thought of Jaime Pierce infiltrating their old stomping grounds.

"It's gross." Brittany hums out between bites.

"What about Laurie?" Santana asks through her own delicious lunch.

"Mhmm." Brittany nods and covers her mouth with the back of her hand. "Laurie, Brady and _Mr. Jacobs_." She jokes, poking fun at how Santana still calls her brother-in-law Mr. Jacobs because he was once their substitute Math teacher at McKinley.

"_When are_ your sister and the sub having more kids anyway?" Santana wonders as she moves her fork around her salad, looking for her next bite. Brittany shrugs her shoulders, turning her hungry attention to her fries and dipping them into the bleu cheese. "I mean, Brady's almost five now."

"Well, Jaime's eight years younger than me and Laurie's eight years _older_ than me." Brittany reminds her girlfriend about the age difference that is in her immediate family. Santana nods as she rummages through her salad for the good stuff.

"I sometimes wonder if my parents had my brothers first if they would have even considered having more children." She sighs and shakes her head at the thought. "I mean, if that were the case, who knows? I may not even be here right now."

A comfortable silence falls between them, both taking a little more interest in their food now that Thanksgiving plans are pretty much settled. Since freshman year they have been dreaming of hosting a holiday at their own place. Sure, they had Kurt and Blaine over last Thanksgiving, but the idea of having family over makes everything a bit more real.

Brittany grins as she chews her food, imagining them preparing for the holiday. She's in the kitchen with her apron on, ordering Santana around to dice something and then take the garbage out. Then Santana taking over to bake pies and begging Brittany to make her pecan pie that she always bakes. Brittany remembers back when they were still in high school when the idea of baking and cooking was something they had sort of thought was beneath them and something they would never truly use. Usually, the most they would have ever cooked was tossing in some cookie dough that was already made.

It's funny how things turn out. Of course Brittany _and_ Santana had always hoped that they would end up with each other. But, hopes and dreams seldom come true. It's kind of a breath of fresh air to have something so real and attainable and it's what they've always wanted.

* * *

><p>Brittany is pretty sure she is still drunk from last night. She, Santana, Quinn and Rachel had taken Nic and Manny out for Thanksgiving eve. They bounced around from bar to bar to club to bar again. Of course they ended their night down at Mick's, where Santana acted like she was in the movie Cocktail and was flipping bottles around as she made drinks. She would have been impressed had she not spent most of her Tuesday nights sitting at the bar watching her girlfriend practice for this very occasion. Santana wanted to impress her brothers with <em>something<em>.

But even with her hangover slash drunken haze, she has a day to prepare for. Luckily, they weren't too far off when they got back home last night and dragged the turkey out of the freezer and set it into the sink. Sure, Jaime woke up when they got back at four in the morning and made them feel like bad parents for being completely wasted, but she sort of helped them with the frozen bird.

The first thing she's thankful for on this holiday is that they live in a two bedroom apartment and that their entire families aren't here. It makes it a little bit easier to move around the apartment in nothing but underwear and a long t-shirt.

Santana isn't far behind her, although she groans as she makes her way down the hallway and into the kitchen. Her eyes are tired but still beautiful and Brittany smiles when she spots her girl. Santana shuffles across the cold tiles of the kitchen floor and puckers up for her morning kiss. She yawns as she pulls away and asks Brittany if she wants coffee, already grabbing two cups down because the answer is going to be a big 'yes'.

"I think I'm still drunk." Santana grumbles, suddenly remembering all of those shots her brothers bought them last night. "How the hell did we get home?" She asks as she fills the coffee filter.

"Umm," Brittany hums as she preheats the oven. "I think Garrett walked us home." She laughs out as a vague memory flies through her brain of Garrett the bartender and owner of Mick's walking them home flashes through her mind.

"Did I sing Salt-n-Pepa's 'Shoop' last night?" She wonders; random memories coming back to her.

"That was Rachel." Brittany reminds her. "Honey, can you go run down and grab some chocolate chip muffins?"

"I guess I should probably put on some clothes then." Santana says, looking down when she realizes that she has no pants or a shirt on.

Before she can head back to their bedroom, she is distracted by a knock on the door. She looks over her shoulder and sends Brittany a curious stare. Brittany shrugs her shoulders and nods towards the door for her to just answer it. She grabs one of her sweatshirts from the coat rack, at least covering her top half up, before she answers the mysterious knock.

"Quinn." Santana is surprised to find it's her best friend standing on the other side of the door. Quinn half smiles, as though happy that Santana sees it's her and also because it's something one does at the sound of their name. But, Santana can sense something beyond that half and mostly faked smile. "What's up?" She asks, because it's late and Quinn looks tired.

Without saying anything, Quinn lifts up her hand and between her index finger and thumb is the engagement ring that once sat on Rachel's finger. Santana's eyes widen and she moves her focus from the ring to her friends face. Her mouth opens, trying to get her voice to work except words aren't coming out.

"You guys were right." Quinn croaks out, once more flashing that forced, sad smile. As much as Santana loves to hear those words, she can't find it in her to cheer about it.

"So, you're not engaged anymore?" Brittany comes out from behind Santana and stands in the doorway with them. Quinn's bottom lip quivers and her eyes flicker from browns to blues.

"Umm," Quinn hums out in an uneven tone and clears her throat to steady her voice. "Actually, we broke up."

Even if this was something they had been hoping for, Brittany and Santana shoot each other unsure glances. It's not like they want their friends to be hurting, but they also don't want them to be doing things that are not in their best interest. Unfortunately, words fall short on the couple and they turn their attention back to Quinn, waiting for more information.

"_You_ guys aren't just great girlfriends to each other, you're really good friends to one another too." Quinn tells them. Her voice is soft, low and sad. "Me and Rach, we haven't been good friends to each other, for a while now. I think that's a step we kind of leaped over." Her eyes are glassy and look down for a moment to gather herself. "We both feel like that. So, we decided that for now, we're only friends. Because if we can't even be friends, then, well…" Quinn sniffles and flips her short, pink hair to the side. "I think that we'd been together for so long, we fell into a routine. There are so many things that I wanna do and being with who Rachel is right now, it wouldn't work. I'm not blaming Rachel or saying she's a bad person, she's not. Her focus is on her career… not me. It's not fair to be second best." She shrugs her shoulders and that sad smile comes to her lips once again.

Brittany swallows hard, feeling a bubble growing in her chest and she wants badly to reach out and pull Quinn into a giant hug. But, she's learned from Santana that just like her girlfriend, sometimes Quinn needs her own, self time to deal with not so happy things. So, she restrains herself and bounces on the balls of her feet as she wracks her brain for something comforting to say.

"Do you wanna spend Thanksgiving with us?" Brittany finally comes up with and gets a nod of approval from her girlfriend. Quinn smiles, even through her sadness and looks down at the ground.

"Rachel, went home to Lima this morning." She tells them. "I'd really like to be with you guys today."


	40. Chapter 40

"How are you okay?" Santana wonders. Quinn is just sitting there on the couch. Staring.

"I don't know. I just am." She shrugs her shoulders.

"You're not crying or mad or anything." Santana points out in confusion.

"No, I'm not." Quinn shakes her head and looks up at her friends who are watching her like people watch a car wreck.

"Why?" Brittany chimes in.

"I think… I loved Rachel." Quinn starts, lowering her eyes to her lap and she sighs. "I mean, I still do. I'm just not _in_ love with her."

"Like, anymore?" Santana tilts her head and her brow furrows.

"Maybe." Quinn shrugs her shoulders again and brings her focus back up to Brittany and Santana. "Or maybe I never was. I don't think I'll ever know for sure."

"That's kinda depressing, Quinn." Brittany mumbles, a sad pout on her lips.

"Here." Santana hands Quinn a cup of coffee, fixed the way she likes it. The couple stands beside the couch, watching with careful eyes as though waiting to have to console their friend at any given moment. Just in case that she does wind up crying or getting mad or anything.

"Thanks." Quinn says after a small sip and smiles gratefully at them.

"Do you need anything?" Brittany asks as she grabs Santana's hand and laces their fingers. Quinn looks around the couch, grabs the remote and shakes her head.

"No, I'm good." She shrugs her shoulders and leans back into the couch, as if everything is right in the world. Santana turns to Brittany with a look of confusion, except her girlfriend can offer her no answers.

"Okay, _well_," Santana points behind them towards the hall where their bedroom is. "We're just gonna…" She doesn't bother finishing her sentence because Quinn isn't even listening to her.

Santana tugs on Brittany's hand and leads her down towards their room and closes the door behind them. Once inside, Brittany pulls her hand from Santana's and runs her fingers through her hair while she takes a seat on the bed. Santana opts to slowly pace in front of her.

"This is kinda weird." Brittany points out. Santana huffs and nods in utter agreement. "Are we supposed to _call_ Rachel?"

"_I don't think so_." Santana says after a few thoughtful seconds. "I mean, it's not like she _isn't_ coming back. She just went home for Thanksgiving." She reminds Brittany, who nods remembering that was their friend's plan for the holiday anyway.

"Well, what about when she _does_ come back?" Brittany wonders. "I mean, unless Kurt winds up moving in with Blaine, Rachel and Quinn are kinda stuck living together." She explains.

"In the _same room_." Santana's eyes widen a bit at this realization.

"One of them could always sleep on the couch. I mean, it is a pullout." Brittany reminds her girlfriend.

"Yeah, but for how long?" She challenges.

"We _do_ have an extra room." Brittany motions towards the wall of their bedroom that separates them from the spare room.

"I know, but, we sort of moved _away _from them to not have roommates." Santana whines.

"It's not like she'd be moving in, Santana." Brittany explains.

"Sure, a week or two or several. But what happens when she never leaves?" Santana asks with worry. She doesn't want to seem like a bad friend, but Brittany does have to admit her girlfriend has a point.

"Let's just get through today and then we'll figure the rest out." Brittany suggests as she pushes herself up from the bed and sets her hands on Santana's hips to still her.

"Yeah." Santana sighs out and smiles thankfully at her girlfriend. After a quick peck on the lips, Brittany taps Santana on the rear and tells her to put some pants on so she can go grab those chocolate chip muffins.

Within minutes Santana is out the door on her mission to procure those tasty chocolate chip muffins from across the street. Before checking in one Quinn, Brittany takes a quick look into their guest room only to find her younger sister still very much in dreamland. She smiles to herself, remembering it also used to be her job to sleep in as long as possible on Thanksgiving. Now, instead of sleeping till noon, she's playing homemaker and hosting her very own family Thanksgiving dinner.

She figures she'll let Jaime sleep in a little longer, considering they did wake her up last night at three in the morning when they got back from their night out. It's the least she can do. When she hears the click of the door closing, the sound of her cell phone ringing form the kitchen catches her attention. She makes a beeline to her phone that is sitting beside Santana's on the island table and sends a glance over at Quinn who is immersed in her coffee and rerun of How I Met Your Mother.

"Hey, Mom." Brittany greets, holding the phone between her cheek and shoulder so she can continue to start the preparations for Thanksgiving dinner.

"Hi, sweetie." Mrs. Pierce replies and Brittany can tell her mother is smiling. "I guess you and Santana are already in the kitchen." She chuckles, considering she rarely gets either girl on the phone before 10:00am.

"Yes ma'am." Brittany nods, regardless of the fact that her mother can't see her. "Santana actually just went to go grab some breakfast and Jaime's still sleeping."

"Not at all surprised." Mrs. Pierce laughs. "I was calling to see if you girls needed anything." Brittany hums and after pressing her finger into the turkey that is slowly thawing in the sink, she moves towards the counter top beside the refrigerator to check their alcohol count.

"Umm," She twists her lips, figuring that more liquor can never hurt anyone when it comes to family gatherings. "A bottle of wine would be good. Other than that, we're set." She realigns the bottles in the row they were in and takes a quick look in the fridge to see that they are also good on beer.

"You two like red, right?" Her mother asks in a confident way.

"Sure do." Brittany says and turns to grab a pot from the bottom cabinet.

"Alright. Then we'll see you at 2:30pm."

When she hangs up, she looks over to Quinn who is going through her own cell phone clearly giving up on one of her favorite television shows. Brittany frowns, but feels it's best not to broach any sort of topic that would upset her friend.

"Hey," Quinn speaks up, luckily starting up the conversation for them instead of Brittany. "I think I'm gonna go home and take a shower. I still smell like vodka and stripper shame." She says as she sniffs the tank top she had on from the night before. Brittany grabs a lock of her own hair and too realizes that she should take a shower seeing as she stinks of smoke and some sort of liquor.

"At least wait until Santana get's back with breakfast." Brittany tells her and Quinn nods.

"You know, chocolate chip muffins are probably the least breakfast type food there is out there. It's right up there next to pop-tarts." Quinn chuckles to herself.

"Since when are muffins not a breakfast food?" Brittany challenges with curiosity.

"Since there's chocolate chips in them." She points out in an obvious way. Brittany simply shrugs her shoulders and goes back to preparing for the evening.

The two look to the door when they hear the rustling of Santana's keys. She greets them with an announcement of chocolate chip muffins entering the house. Quinn, minus her protests on those not being much of a breakfast food, greedily takes one and dives right in to enjoying it. They are sure to set one of the four aside for Jaime when she finally wakes up.

"Baby, I'm gonna go shower." Brittany says as she cuts a piece of the muffin.

"Yeah, I should head home and get ready." Quinn tells her friends as she pushes herself up from the couch. "I'll be back in time to help you guys set up the tables." She points over towards the folding tables that are leaning up against the wall under the island table.

"_Okay._" Santana drawls out and glances from Brittany to Quinn as she munches on her muffin.

"Thanks for breakfast." Quinn smiles as she lifts up her treat and heads out the door.

"See ya later." Santana waves at the door that is already and sends Brittany a confused look.

A few minutes after Quinn leaves to go get ready for her unexpected Thanksgiving plans, Santana scurries to her room. Brittany, after checking the temperature on the oven curiously, follows and finds her girlfriend deep in their closet. She crosses her arms as she watches Santana tug something rather heavy out and rests it in the middle of their room.

When the contraption is set up, it actually looks less intricate than she had first thought and is barely any higher than a waste basket in their bathroom. Santana then goes into her desk and opens the bottom drawer where she pulls out a stack of papers from the bottom, under a bunch of other crap. Brittany watches as Santana flips a switch and then carefully feeds the pages into the machine which she has now come to realize is a paper shredder.

"What's _that_?" Brittany asks as she motions towards what her girlfriend is doing.

"A paper shredder." Santana replies easily and smiles but Brittany gives her an eye roll. "They're plans." She says with a shrug, continuing to shove the papers in to get destroyed. "Well, they _were_ plans."

"For what?" Brittany asks and steps further.

"That, I cannot reveal." Santana says in a dubious way and raises an eyebrow. "I will tell you that what with the turn of events, it would seem inappropriate to carry out my plot of revenge." Brittany nods. It's of no surprise to her that Santana would have a detailed plan to get Rachel or Quinn back for something they might have done. As she wonders what the revenge was actually in response to, another thought crosses her mind.

"Where the hell did you get this thing anyway?" Brittany wonders and motions with her foot towards the shredding machine.

"A magician never reveals." Santana winks and Brittany breathes out a chuckle.

"Yeah, neither do assassins."

"What's the difference? They both make things disappear." She points out with a tilt of her head.

"You scare me sometimes." Brittany shakes her head, but can't help smiling and Santana laughs.

"Well, getting back at Rachel doesn't seem right at the moment. So..." Santana divulges as she shreds more papers.

"What were you planning on getting back at her for?" Brittany wonders, trying to peer over and check out some of her girlfriend's obvious intense planning but cannot decipher the words, arrows and pictures all over the pages.

"She knows." Is all Santana says as the humming of shredding echoes off of their bedroom walls.

"Whatever it is or was, I think you're right on postponing it." Brittany finally gives up on trying to get more information and plops down on the bed. "It's gonna be weird when Rachel gets back, huh?" She twists her lips and watches as her question, which is more a comment than anything, seeps into her girlfriend's mind. Santana nods and raises her eyebrows in agreement.

"I didn't think it was a great idea for them to be all fiancéed up, but I didn't want them to break up." Santana admits as she slides the last and final paper into the shredder. "It's definitely going to be different, that's for sure."

"Well, I think it's a good thing. Quinn was right. They were never actually friends if you think about it." Brittany points out and Santana takes that thought and hums.

"I guess I always assume people who date each other are friends." Santana says as she shuts the machine off and takes the spot on the bed beside Brittany. "I mean, that's how we started off and we're still very much friends."

"You're my _best_ friend." Brittany muses and laces their fingers together.

"And you're _my_ _best_ friend." Santana adds in agreement, lifting their hands up to kiss Brittany's fingers. "Hopefully our parents get here before Quinn gets back so we can inform them not to bring up Berry."

"It's gonna come up somehow." Brittany explains vaguely. She's right too. Somehow, Rachel is going to come up in conversation one way or another. It's sort of inevitable. The things people try to avoid always seem to make themselves seen or heard.

* * *

><p>"Jaime, can you get the door?" Santana calls from the kitchen when she hears knocking. She realizes that Quinn is nowhere to be seen. The youngest Pierce girl happily bounces up from the couch that they had moved against the wall and opens the door for the crowd that has seemed to gather out in the hall.<p>

"Hello sweetheart." Mrs. Lopez greets when she sees that it's Jaime Pierce opening the door for them.

"Hey, Mrs. Lopez." She replies and steps back to let both Pierce and Lopez families into her sister's home.

"Britt, where are we putting our coats?" Laurie asks from the living room where she's helping Brady take off his jacket.

"Oh," Brittany turns around and taps her head with the end of the wooden spoon she's using. "I guess in the guest room."

"The bed's not made yet." Santana reminds her and sends Jaime a quick look even though she's not at all paying attention.

"Scratch that. Put them in our bedroom." Brittany yells to them as they are already down the hall.

"Where's Quinn?" Santana asks quietly.

"I think she's in our bathroom." Brittany shrugs, not at all worried about what Quinn is actually doing in the bathroom or not doing.

"It smells yummy in here girls." Mrs. Lopez comments from her spot in the doorway of the kitchen. Brittany and Santana smile at each other as they move around preparing Thanksgiving dinner. "Do you two need help?"

"I think we've got everything covered." Brittany tells her, wiping her hands on the front of her apron that reads 'Property of Santana' across her chest.

"Cute apron." Laurie says from the island where she's leaning. Santana smirks and sends Brittany a wink.

"Are you gonna give me a hug or what?" Brittany moves by Mrs. Lopez and holds her arms open for her sister's embrace. "I missed you."

"Missed you too." Laurie hugs her tightly before pulling back to get a close up look of her sister's apron and laughs.

"Did you see the one I made Santana?" Brittany moves back towards her girlfriend and spins her around. 'Brittany's B*#ch'. Laurie cracks up and Mrs. Lopez can hardly stifle her laugh.

"Priceless." Rick, also known as The Sub, also known as Mr. Jacobs, also known as Laurie's husband says. Santana sticks her tongue out at him and gives him one of those awkward but familiar hugs that sort of family gives one another. "How've you been?"

"Good, good." She nods and exchanges a kiss on the cheek with Laurie. "How have you guys been? Got another bun in the oven yet?" She asks as she moves passed Brittany to continue her Thanksgiving duties as hostess.

"_Santana_." Brittany says quickly and softly.

"What?" Santana jerks her head back, not seeing the problem with the question.

"Not yet." Rick laughs and wraps his arm around his wife.

"Maybe soon though." Laurie smiles and taps her not so pregnant belly.

"Hey big sis." Nic announces his presence with Manny behind him. Santana eyes them skeptically.

"No love?" Manny pouts and drops his arms that were halfway up to offer his sister a hug. But, before she can even give a response, physically or verbally, her brothers crowd her into a Lopez sibling sandwich hug with a Santana middle.

"Ahhh!" Santana yells. But her cries are of no use as everyone just laughs and shakes their heads at the sibling love going on.

"Hey Britt." Nic smiles when he pulls away from his tiny but older sister and yanks her girlfriend into a hug.

"Hi guys." She greets, still laughing at their antics. "Listen," She says a bit quieter. "Me and Santana are fine with you guys having a beer or two, but don't let your parents catch you." And with that, she taps them on the shoulder and goes back to her cooking.

"Britt," Quinn's voice comes from on the other side of the island. "Can I use your charger?" She asks, lifting the cord of the wire. Brittany nods and waves her off, giving her the go ahead.

"Where've you been?" Santana asks, grabbing bowls from the table and places them into the refrigerator.

"I was on the phone." Quinn tells her with a tinge of annoyance. Sort of the way a child does with their parents.

"Do you think it's smart to fall back into just calling each other so quickly?" Santana wonders and stops to lean on the counter top where her friend is.

"Santana, its Thanksgiving." Quinn reminds her with a sigh. "She's still a part of my life."

"Whatever." Santana shakes her head and goes back to helping Brittany and Quinn turns around to join the Pierce and Lopez families surrounding the television.

A knock at the door catches Brittany and Santana's attention. The boys and Mrs. Lopez are sucked into the football game on television, Mrs. Pierce is busying herself looking through their calendar on the refrigerator while Laurie talks to her about Brady and Quinn is staring at the bottom of her glass. The couple looks to each other and then the rest of their guests wondering who is could be because everyone is accounted for.

Brittany pats her girlfriend on her behind, letting her know she'll go answer the door. She nearly jumps out of her skin as everyone watching football cheers at whatever play has just happened. She looks through the peep hole and furrows her brow in confusion before opening the door.

"Garrett?" She questions when she sees that it's Garrett, the owner and bartender of Mick's, standing in their hallway with a box most likely containing pastries or a pie and another that can only be bottles of liquor.

"You don't remember inviting me, do you?" He asks. It's the only time Brittany can remember seeing him shift awkwardly in all the years they have known him. She opens her mouth to speak, but then grins and shakes her head. "You and Santana made me pinky swear that I'd come over for Thanksgiving dinner." He explains, but the information is new to Brittany who raises an eyebrow. "Last night, at the strip club." Brittany's eyes widen as she tries to remember even going to a strip club.

"Well, it doesn't matter why you're here." She smiles and moves the door wider and waves him in. "The more the merrier." He smiles, grateful that he hasn't been shooed away and that the uncomfortable surprise was only for them to hear and endure.

"I brought some pastries." He hands the white box to Brittany after she closes the door. "And of course, what kind of bar keep would I be if I didn't bring some alcohol." He lifts up the box of glasses.

"You didn't have to." Brittany waves him off and then they are nearly deafened by another roar from the company watching football. "But, I'm glad you did." She nods her head towards the frenzied footballers on her couch. "Everyone!" She announces and only gets half of their attention. "This is Garrett. He's a friend of mine and Santana's." There are a few faint, 'Hey Garrett'. "They're really a sweet bunch." She rolls her eyes and moves towards the kitchen and Garrett follows suit.

"Hey, Garrett." Santana smiles as she starts spooning the now mashed potatoes into a serving bowl. "Welcome to the 'Pierce-Lopez Thanksgiving Extravaganza'." She beams and wipes her hands on the front of her apron. Garrett smirks and quirks an eyebrow.

"Sweet apron." He points at where it says 'Brittany's B*#ch'. She looks down and proudly smiles over at her girlfriend.

"You know, putting 'extravaganza' at the end of everything doesn't make it a good time." Quinn groans as she comes into the kitchen and snatches up some raw vegetables to snack on. "Hey, Garrett."

"Hey, Quinn." He gives her a little wave.

"Putting 'extravaganza' at the end of anything absolutely makes it a good time." Santana defends as she smacks Quinn's hand away from the uncooked carrots. "Remember 'Quinn's Twenty-First Birthday Extravaganza'?" She shrugs one shoulder as though she's just made a point.

"I remember 'Quinn and the Porcelain Throne of Secrets'." Brittany mumbles between them.

"Or what about 'Santana's Board Game Night Extravaganza'?" Santana announces theatrically. "Classic."

"A, you made up the rules as you went and you were the only one who had fun." Quinn points out. "And B, I think more than half of us left crying that night." Santana rolls her eyes.

"It wasn't my fault that Sam was super sensitive." She sighs in annoyance at the memory. "How was I to know that his family lived in a shoe and had so many children they didn't know what to do?"

"Why don't you guys go watch football with the rest of the group." Brittany suggests as she tries to usher Garrett and Quinn out of the kitchen. The latter sighs and rolls her eyes but does as she is told.

Santana excuses herself, grabs her cell phone from the charger on the island table and heads towards her bedroom. She quietly shuts the door and scrolls through her recent contacts. Her thumb hovers over the familiar name as she thinks of what she is going to say. In truth, it's not that big of a deal to make this call. But, on the other side of the coin, it kind of is a little bit of a deal. Forgoing any further uncertainties, she presses her thumb down to make the call.

"Hey, Santana." She hears after a few rings. She sucks in her lips and breathes through her nose.

"Hey, Rach." Santana replies, sending a quick glance towards the door. It's still closed.

"Happy Thanksgiving." Rachel says. Santana nods and closes her eyes as she lowers herself to take a seat at the foot of the bed.

"Yeah, happy Thanksgiving to you." She returns.

"Is your family there yet?" Rachel asks. It's relieving to Santana that the first question Rachel puts out there isn't about Quinn or even about herself. In fact, she's sort of surprised.

"Yeah, they just got here." Santana smiles to herself. "My brothers' are still hungover."

"I think I am too." Rachel admits with a chuckle. "It was a fun night though."

"Definitely." Santana agrees in a soft tone, realizing that last night was the last night Rachel and Quinn were together. Like, together, together. "How are things at the Berry house?" She wonders, hoping she was quick on the change of direction this conversation was going.

"Oh, my dads' have been their usual selves. Completely fawning over me as if they didn't just see me a few months ago." She laughs and Santana playfully rolls her eyes at this information. She's known the Berry men to always fawn over their daughter, regardless of how long they've went without seeing her.

"When are you coming back?" She asks.

"Probably on Sunday."

"Okay, good." Santana nods and pushes herself up from the bed. "Well, I better get back to the kitchen." She waves towards the door as if Rachel is in the room with her and she's trying to politely end the conversation.

"Yes, go back in there before Brittany threatens you with no sex again." Rachel jokes.

"Hey, that was me who was withholding sex." Santana defends which only makes Rachel laugh more.

"And that did not last very long." Rachel reminds her.

"Yeah, well." Santana bobs her head from side to side and smiles. "It's hard to say 'no' to that girl."

"Have a nice time today, Santana." Rachel's voice drops an octave. "Tell everyone I said 'hi'."

"Same to you." Santana replies and in a second the phone call is over.

"For the record," Brittany's voice comes from the door which has crept open without Santana knowing. "I don't think you could sincerely keep yourself from having sex with me even if you tried." She comments with a smirk. Santana grins, uncertainly but happy at the same time.

"How long have you been standing there?" She asks, surprised she didn't hear the door creak open.

"Long enough to know who you were talking to." Brittany admits quietly as she steps further into their bedroom.

"She's still our friend." Santana tells her, even though she doesn't really need to remind Brittany of this. "Ya know?"

"I know." Brittany nods and extends her hand out for Santana, who gladly accepts it.

"I'm just gonna," Santana motions towards their bathroom. "I'm gonna freshen up." Brittany smiles, leans in for a quick peck and leaves Santana to it.

* * *

><p>"Your mom was just in here rummaging through our cabinets." Brittany tells her girlfriend as she continues to mash the potatoes. Santana shrugs and reaches towards the cabinet above the sink and pulls down two glasses.<p>

"Yeah, she does that." Santana says as she places the cups down to the counter.

"Ahh, so that's where you get it from." Brittany winks making Santana chuckle.

"One time at my aunt's house, she practically scolded her for not having white wine vinegar." She shakes her head and chuckles as she recalls the event.

"Is that why we have an unopened bottle of that in the pantry?" Brittany asks in curiosity. Santana smirks and nods. "Well, let's just hope that the kitchen cabinets are all she'll be going through." She adds with a raised eyebrow and Santana sends a questioning eye towards the living room.

Without a word, Santana moves quickly down the hall towards their bedroom and is not at all surprised to find her mother there. Luckily, Mrs. Lopez isn't doing her usual snooping. She's just looking at the picture frames Brittany decorated their room with. Santana leans against the door frame and watches as her mother moves from picture to picture, letting out a hum of approval as she looks at each one intently. It's hard not to smile at this and Santana doesn't do much to fight it.

"What are you doing?" Santana finally speaks, breaking the unknown silence the two have been saturated in. Mrs. Lopez doesn't flinch though, not at all surprised that she has been found out. Instead, she stands up straight and smiles in her daughter's direction as she lifts up a picture frame from Brittany's bedside table.

"You look so beautiful here." She says, pointing at the photo of Santana and Brittany from the last family gathering they went to in Lima. Santana smiles softly and pushes herself from the door frame to walk further into the bedroom. "So, happy." Her smile grows wider and she stops walking when she reaches her mother, where she places her arm through her mother's hooking them together.

"That's because I am happy, mom." She breathes out gently but with such certainty.

"You two have so many pictures." Mrs. Lopez lets out as she puts the frame back on the bedside table, then motions with her hand all of the pictures the room is decorated with. Santana follows the motion and smiles; there are a lot of captured memories in this room.

"Kind of helps that our best friend has a camera permanently attached to her hand." Santana grins and rolls her eyes. "Plus, Brittany likes having them, so..." She shrugs her shoulders and walks over towards the few that are sitting on their vanity. "I do too. It's nice to have something to look at and then remember the moment." She picks one up and rubs her thumb over the glass where her beautiful girlfriend's face smiles back at her. "God," She laughs. "I can only imagine when we have kids. I hope we don't turn into an episode of hoarders."

"Santana," Quinn's voice enters the room and when Santana looks over she finds her friend in the doorway. "Brittany said to get you and that dinner's just about ready." She gives her a thumbs up before she retreats back the way she came.

Santana excitedly hooks her arm through her mother's and leads her out of the bedroom and back to the living room where the makeshift dining room is all set up. Everyone is sitting in their seats at the table, Mrs. Lopez takes hers next to Mr. Lopez and Santana sits beside Brittany who has taken the head of the table position.

"Before we get started," Mrs. Pierce says to get everyone's attention and raises her glass. "I just want to say that I am so happy to be spending the holiday with not only family but friends." She motions her glass towards the Lopez family. Santana's smile fades a bit when she looks over to Brittany who seems a bit deflated. Everyone knows that it's customary for the hosts or hostess' of the gathering to make some sort of pre-dinner speech.

"Brittany." Santana announces a little louder than she had expected, making it sort of come out sounding like a cheer. She places her hand on her girlfriend's back and rubs light circles to coax a smile from her. "Why don't_ you_ start us off since you put this," She motions with her free hand to the table that is elegantly set up. "Beautiful dinner together." Brittany grins, grateful that Santana knows her so well and she nods and grabs her glass.

"I'm just glad that everyone was able to make it." Brittany tells the group, smiling wider when everyone lifts their glass in their air like her own. "So, let's eat up before it gets cold." She giggles and motions to the food. They all cheer and clink their glasses together then do as their told, scooping up mashed potatoes, green beans and a little bit of everything else available.

"I don't know what to say." Brittany whispers to Santana who chuckles and leans closer.

"That was perfect." Santana assures her and places a kiss to the corner of her mouth. "You're perfect, too." Another kiss.

"So, Santana, you're graduating next month." Mrs. Pierce points out, though it does sort of come out sounding like a question. Santana looks up from her plate that is proportioned nicely with side dishes plus turkey. Luckily, only half of the table is actually listening to the conversation, so, she appeases the woman and nods with a smile. "That's exciting." And Santana simply continues to nod and smile.

"Lou and I will be back here to celebrate." Mrs. Lopez interjects with a proud look in her daughter's direction.

"_And_ the boys." Mr. Lopez adds, motioning towards his sons.

"When you two come back home for Christmas, we should celebrate both of your accomplishments." Mr. Pierce suggests with a motion of his fork. "Seeing as we didn't get to with Brittany back in May." Santana and Brittany's smiles fade and they look to one another uncomfortably.

"_Joe_." Mrs. Pierce quietly scolds, lightly slapping her hand against her husband's arm.

"What?" He asks with a huff. "We weren't here for Brittany's graduation." He points out. "Neither was Brittany for that matter." He shakes his head and goes back to his food.

"You know I didn't want to go to graduation anyway." Brittany reminds her father as well as the rest of the room, just in case they weren't privy to this information. "It's stuffy and long and boring." She explains easily enough and reaches under the table for Santana's hand that is set on her own lap.

"It would have been nice to see my daughter graduate from college, that's all I'm saying." Mr. Pierce adds with a tinge of disappointment and annoyance.

"You saw _my_ graduation, daddy." Laurie interrupts and receives a glance of thanks from her sister and mother. "And you have Jaime's in a few years." She points out and her father finally shrugs with a nod, realizing at least this much is true.

"Can I talk to you? In private?" Santana asks in a hushed tone, her lips graze her girlfriend's ear. Brittany glances over and nods as she feels her hand being squeezed in Santana's. "Excuse us for a moment." Santana announces, and the groups nods and smiles. Quinn thankfully turns the topic onto Laurie and the Substitute as to when they plan on expanding their family which then brightens up Mr. Pierce's spirit. Brittany allows herself to be led to their bedroom and watches as her girlfriend closes the door behind them. "You're right." Santana tells her and Brittany stares at her curiously. "Graduations are long and boring and those gowns are completely unflattering." She recalls their high school graduation and how her body was not in the least accentuated. "Besides, you missed yours and it's sort of obnoxious for me to assume you'd want to come to mine."

"Santana, that's not true." Brittany shakes her head and crosses her arms over her chest. "You worked hard for this."

"So did you." Santana points out. "I mean, we didn't even celebrate you graduating." She explains with a sigh.

"I could care less." Brittany assures her.

"But, still." Santana shakes her head and runs her fingers through her hair.

"Sweetie, you love this kind of stuff." Brittany reminds her as she uncrosses her arms and steps towards Santana. "You like getting recognition for things. Especially when you've worked so hard to get them." She rubs her hands up and down her girlfriend's arms and smiles. "I won't let you even try and talk your way out of this. We're going to your graduation and you are going to walk across that stage so I can take pictures and hoot and holler louder than everyone else in that place." Santana smiles sweetly back at her. "Don't let what my dad says get to you. He's just being grumpy because he's a dad. That's what they do. The other night my mom told me he was in a huff because the hardware store he's been going to for twenty years changed owners." Santana tilts her head from side to side, obviously thinking. "Babe, I know my parents are proud of me. I'm proud of me. Most of all, I know you're proud of me. Maybe when all is said and done, we can celebrate both of our accomplishments in the right way, okay?"

"Okay." Santana nods and smiles and leans in to press her lips chastely to Brittany's. "We should probably get back out there before they think we are getting it on." She winks and Brittany laughs.

"Wouldn't be the first time." She playfully slaps Santana's ass as she walks towards the door.

"And it wouldn't be the last." Santana adds and pulls the door open, motioning for her girlfriend to walk out first.

* * *

><p>"Santana got into NYU law school." Brittany announces an hour into the meal, a proud look on her face.<p>

"Oh, congratulations dear." Mrs. Pierce holds her glass up.

"_Honey_!" Mrs. Lopez practically shrieks. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Santana smiles and shrugs her shoulders.

"I was waiting to see you to tell you." She explains, feeling a little awkward with attention on her.

"Good job kid." Laurie leans over and clinks her knife to Santana's wine glass.

"So, what are you going to do with work?" Mr. Lopez asks. Mrs. Lopez is too busy smiling proudly at her daughter.

"_Oh_," Santana clears her throat and shifts in her seat. "Well, it's gonna be hard to keep up with my classes if I have a full time job."

"You can always work part time." He explains and Santana sends Brittany a look.

"I told Santana that I'd feel better with her not working at all. I mean, I'm doing pretty well right now with the music video." Brittany chimes in and sets a comforting hand on her girlfriend's that is on her lap. "Besides, she isn't starting until next fall. She has more than enough time to work her cute little butt off until then." She sends her girlfriend a wink. "Plus, I still have the studio. So, we're good." Santana smiles because she is never surprised at Brittany's confidence in not only her, but them.

"When _is_ that music video coming out?" Manny asks with a wriggle of his eyebrows and in return, gets a death stare from his sister.

"Wow, you've decided to join in on the adult conversation." Santana sighs in annoyance and rolls her eyes.

"So, is this like one of those hot girl dance videos?" He turns his questions towards Brittany whose eyes widen as she takes in a forkful of food.

"She's under contract." Quinn explains and catches Manny's attention. "Since she signed on the dotted line, well, several dotted lines. Brittany's not legally allowed to say what kind of video it's gonna be or not be." She shrugs and continues to stab her carrots and munch on them delightfully.

"Quinn," Mrs. Pierce turns the focus over towards her daughter's friend. "How's school been treating you? Last I heard, you were also looking into law school." Quinn shifts uncomfortably in her chair and looks up from her food with wide eyes at the woman speaking to her.

"Umm," She clears her throat and glances back down at her plate. "Right now, I'm holding off on that." She nods and raises her eyes back up to Mrs. Pierce whose eyebrows rise as she listens.

"Quinn's actually a really good photographer." Brittany jumps in and the rest of the group gives their 'ooh's' and 'ahh's'. "She has a show in a few weeks."

"That's nice." Mrs. Lopez comments.

"It's not my own show." Quinn waves her hand and shakes her head, wanting to explain the details. "One of my teacher's, his son actually owns his own studio and he knows a guy and, well…" Her voice fades away, but it doesn't dim the bright smiles on the faces of those who are actually interested in her story.

"I think it's great if you love it." Mr. Pierce raises his glass and sends Quinn a grin.

"Thank you." She replies quietly, happy to hear that someone other than Santana and Brittany approve of her possible future.

"Oh sweetheart, let us clean up." Mrs. Lopez says, trying to shoo Brittany's hands away from the dish where the mashed potatoes once sat. "You cooked." Brittany chuckles and swats her hand away as to grab the dish.

"No way." Brittany tells her. "You are our guest." She assures her with a grateful smile.

"Yeah, mom. Sit, relax, enjoy yourself." Santana tells her mother as she gathers up everyone's empty plates. "Really, we don't mind cleaning up." She smiles over at Brittany.

"Suit yourself." Mrs. Lopez holds her hands up in defeat. "I guess we'll just watch some television." She motions towards the TV that is already back on and the remote is sitting in Nic's hand.

After a little while, the table that once held a masterpiece of food is empty and the household's occupants are in the kitchen washing dishes and packing up some leftovers. Mrs. Pierce looks in and finds her daughter and Santana giggling between each other cutely as they move about the kitchen. She smiles to herself and nudges Anita's arm with her own and motions towards the other room.

Santana has a Ziploc bag of leftover turkey in one hand while the other is gently against Brittany's shoulder, as though to keep her at a distance. Brittany has a smirk on her face and her hands wrap around Santana's regardless of the protest. Santana yelps, but to everyone else the sound goes unnoticed, as Brittany decides to dip her as though they are dancing. With one hand still clutching the Ziploc bag the other comes to grip at Brittany's neck. Their lips meet in a faux passionate way, giggling through it all.

It's a short lived moment and soon the couple is back to shoving things in bags and containers that are placed carefully into the refrigerator. Their mothers, unbeknownst to them, smile to themselves and at each other at the cute way the two interact with one another when they think no one is watching.

With their families and friends sucked into some evening showing of a Peanuts movie and the coffee machine set up, Santana drags Brittany away from the kitchen and into their bathroom. She locks the door to the hallway as well as the door that leads into their bedroom just in case.

"Take your clothes off." Santana's voice is low and raspy and demanding. Brittany watches on in confused arousal as her girlfriend peels her own shirt from her body and lets it drop to the floor.

"Santana…" Brittany croaks out, her eyes fall down to Santana's lower half when her pants are being pushed to her ankles and then kicked off. Santana looks up at her with her arms behind her back and unhooks her bra, letting it join her shirt and pants on the tile floor. With one swift motion, Brittany's fingers unbutton her pants and within a minute, she's equally as naked as Santana.

"Watching you cook, in that apron, ugh..." Santana groans as her hands run up and down Brittany's bare legs. "I'm _so_ horny right now." She gets a nice handful of her girlfriend's ass and gives it a squeeze while her lips press kisses everywhere she can find skin.

"Shh, everyone is still out there." Brittany shushes, but does nothing physically to actually stop her.

"I don't even care." Santana murmurs as she continues to trail kisses from Brittany's neck down her chest. "I want you. Right here. Right now." She announces, her voice barely making it's way past her lips.

Brittany hums and hops up onto the bathroom counter. She spreads her legs for Santana to move in between them. When she does, Brittany closes her legs around Santana's tiny body and pulls her closer. Lips attach themselves to Brittany's nipple and her head falls back while she tries to clamp her mouth shut. Small whines slip out, unable to control her body's reaction to every touch. Her hand grips at the back of Santana's neck, urging her to continue but with more fervor. Santana gets the hint and lightly grazes her teeth on the erect nipple.

"Fuck me." Brittany begs through her panting. "Please." She tugs at Santana's hair while her hips cant forward moving her body closer to the edge of the counter top.

"You want head?" Santana asks, moving her lips to Brittany's ears. Her girlfriend's body shivers and she moans at her words. "You want me to go down on you, baby?" Santana questions in a different way and she can practically smell the arousal spill from Brittany. "Mmm, I think you do." She trails her finger down to her girlfriend's center and dips a digit in. Brittany takes her hand from between her legs and draws the finger into her mouth, instantly receiving a groan of pleasure from Santana. "Fuck... you're so hot."

"Kiss me." Brittany rushes, already pressing their lips together, allowing Santana to taste her. "Mmm," Brittany hums into Santana mouth and pulls at her hair to tug her away, separating their lips. "Santana, we can't take long." She explains and motions with a tilt of her head to the bathroom door that leads out into their hallway.

"'Nough said." Santana winks and drops to her knees. She sets herself perfectly between Brittany's legs, her eyes fixed on her glistening core. Santana smiles to herself as she leans forward and presses her lips to her girlfriend's most intimate spot.

She hums, enjoying the taste of Brittany on her lips and tongue. But, equally, she enjoys the way her girlfriend settles her legs on top of her shoulders and the hand she places at the back of her head. The urgency and want only spurs Santana on to work quicker. Her tongue works fast, greedily licking and flicking as the sounds from Brittany speed up and seem to get louder.

"Babe," Santana pants and glances up at Brittany whose eyes are trained on her. "Shhh." She smirks before diving back in.

Fifteen minutes later, Brittany and Santana make their way back out into the living room in their after dinner attire; sweats and hoodies. Luckily, the only person who gives them a knowing look is Quinn, but she merely quirks an eyebrow and shakes her head. She's really the only one who would be privy of their after sex glow and appearance, something they all are quite thankful for at the moment.

"Santana." Mrs. Lopez calls out and pulls her daughter from her post sex haze.

"Hmm?" Santana looks to her mother as she's about to turn into the kitchen.

"The coffee's ready. Did you make decaf? I hope so." Mrs. Lopez rattles off and motions towards the kitchen where the coffee pot is indeed full. "I swear," She turns towards Mr. and Mrs. Pierce and shakes her head. "It's like once you hit forty, one cup of regular coffee after seven o'clock keeps you up all night." Mr. Pierce lets out a low chuckle and nods his head in agreement while Mrs. Pierce giggles a bit.

"Yes, mother." Santana calls back as she continues into the kitchen and rolls her eyes. "God, she sounds more and more like my abuela." She sighs and Brittany laughs before playfully tapping her girlfriend's behind.

"Wow, I think that's a new record." Quinn says. "I hope you washed your hands." She adds, but only loud enough for them to hear. Brittany turns and makes a face at her friend that is leaning her elbows on the island table that separates the kitchen from the living room.

"Nope." Santana jokes as she sticks her finger into a cup of coffee before handing it over to Quinn. "Cream?" Quinn rolls her eyes and accepts the creamer handed to her and watches as it turns her coffee into a lighter shade of brown.

"Do you guys ever feel like we're growing up too fast?" Quinn muses as she drops some sugar into her coffee. Brittany and Santana share a look of confusion as well as one of concern. "I mean, we moved to New York City. So many miles away from what we always knew as home." She starts, but keeps her eyes focused on her hot beverage. "We have relationships..." She sighs and shakes her head, coming to the realization that not only is she rambling but she's totally being a buzz kill. "Sorry." She says softly and looks to her friends who are sadly staring at her.

"Q," Santana walks towards her from the kitchen side of the island. "It's okay to be upset." She half smiles, but it's more of a sympathetic smirk than anything. "It'd be weird if you weren't." Quinn nods, appreciating the honesty.

"You know," Quinn glances back down at her drink and the way her fingers grip the handle. "I feel like, this is how it was supposed to play out." She shrugs and lifts her mug up to her lips for a quick sip. "I mean, I can see Kurt and Blaine ending up together. As weird as that sounds considering Kurt's track record with guys." They all chuckle at this, but only for a moment. "Even when you two were fake broken up," She looks up at them with sad but oddly freed eyes. "I know that I'm gonna be there watching you two get married." Santana and Brittany turn to one another, wanting to smile, but it's hard to when their friend is slightly broken.

"But, you and Rachel?" Brittany wonders.

"I don't know." Quinn shakes her head after a few moments. "I don't think I've ever really known. Sure, I've hoped. But, that's not enough sometimes I guess."

Before either Brittany or Santana can say another word, their little pow-wow is interrupted by one of the Lopez twins. Nic comes over and bumps his shoulder into Quinn's which unsteadies her balance. Then he storms around the island table to playfully tackle his smaller, but older sister.

"Me want dessert." He growls as he lifts her up from the ground and turns her upside down.

"Stop!" Santana yelps, slapping her brother's forearms in protest. "Put me down!"

"Cookie, cookie, cookie." Nic growls with his best Cookie Monster interpretation.

"I don't have a bra on you a-hole." Santana cries out and brings her hands up to keep herself from popping out of her zip up hoodie that's only halfway zipped. Nic rolls his eyes, obviously unhappy to hear this kind of statement from his own sister.

"That's gross." He face palms her after he sets her down on the ground and walks back over to the table, making sure to swipe a cookie first.

"I think it's hot." Brittany whispers in her ear as she carries out the coffee pot to the table in their living room.

"I'm with Nic." Quinn declares and raises her hand.

* * *

><p>After dessert and some adult conversation by the parents, everything sort of winds down for the night. Garret excuses himself, saying he should really open the bar for the evening. But thanks Santana and Brittany for their invite and their hospitality. He promises at least a week of free drinks for such good food.<p>

Laurie, Brady and Rick thank them as well for everything, but with a cranky Brady decide to head out first too. Right behind them are the Lopez twins who are happy to accept the bottle of liquor that Santana snuck to them. Mr. Lopez and Mr. Pierce fold up the tables once they are all cleared and cleaned off, setting them back up against the wall of the island table.

With the couch back in its usual place, Brittany takes up the corner spot where Santana crawls comfortably next to her and presses into her side comfortably. Quinn sits at the other end with the remote in her hand and flips through the channels aimlessly. Within the half hour, their families are all ready to head out for the evening.

"Bye sweetie." Mrs. Pierce leans over the back of the couch and presses a kiss to her daughter's forehead. "You did such a great job tonight." She squeezes her shoulders and tucks some hair behind her ear.

"Night Pumpkin." Mr. Pierce kisses the top of her head and lightly pats Santana's whose eyelids are falling second by second.

"Bye guys." Brittany smiles gratefully and waves with her free hand. "Bye Jai." Her little sister hugs her from behind the couch and whispers 'I love you'. "Love you too."

"Everything was really good tonight." Mrs. Lopez tells Brittany in a hushed voice and gently rubs the girl's arm. She smirks and nods towards her daughter, sleeping peacefully in her girlfriend's arms. Brittany looks down and giggles softly.

"It was, wasn't it?" Brittany agrees and lightly kisses Santana's forehead. "I think all this entertaining tired her out." She grins, her eyes tracing over Santana's features as she sleeps.

"She better get used to it." Mr. Lopez says from behind his wife, helping her with her coat. "When you get older, all you do as a couple is entertain."

The door closes and after six hours of family time, there is nothing but silence left behind. Well, safe for the sound of the television. Brittany smiles to herself and then down at Santana sleeping soundly. Her eyes drift over to Quinn who is also falling under the fatigue of such a vigorous day. Brittany nods to herself and thinks. If for the rest of her life she could end the day like this with Santana in her arms, then everything is the way it should be. It's something that is inevitable and something that is just supposed to be.

No questions.

It's kind of like the same reason why the sky is blue. Does anyone really know the answer to that? The answer doesn't really matter. What matters is that it always is. No matter what.


	41. Chapter 41

_**hello friends. this marks the last chapter of 'true as the sky is blue'. thank you so much for taking this journey with me. i hope you enjoy this chapter. so review when you're done and let me know what you think. much love :)**_

* * *

><p>[Three years and seven months later]<p>

Santana sighs as she looks through her Blackberry which catches Brittany's attention. She turns from their suitcase where she's been unpacking their things and watches the way her girlfriend thumbs through her phone. Santana has been waiting for an e-mail from the firm she had been interning at for the past two years to see if she got a junior associates job. She's applied and interviewed with other firms as well, but she has her heart set on Rose & Byrnes because she already knows everyone there.

"Anything yet?" Brittany asks as she sets a pile of Santana's clothes down onto the blow up mattress they're going to be sleeping on for the next couple of days. Santana shakes her head and sighs again, this time louder and longer. "It _is_ the weekend." Brittany reminds her in a hopeful voice. "I'm sure Joshua will let you know as soon as _he_ knows something."

"Yeah." Santana nods and locks the phone before setting it down onto the coffee table they moved against the wall. "I'm just nervous I guess." She admits and rubs the back of her neck.

"Baby," Brittany coos and smiles lovingly over at her. "Even if you don't get the job, you're smart and good at what you do."

"You're sweet." Santana grins and moves to kneel on the ground beside Brittany. "And you're right." She runs her fingers through her hair and looks down at the still half packed suitcase.

"It's not like it's the only place in New York." Brittany muses as she hands Santana her own personal bag of toiletries. "Here." She hands hers over as well. "And it's also not the only firm in the country." She adds with a raised eyebrow which garners an inquisitive stare from Santana.

"But, you want to stay in New York, right?" Santana asks, wondering if Brittany has been contemplating moving somewhere else. Brittany shrugs and tosses a bunch of socks and panties beside the piles of clothes she's been pulling out of their luggage.

"I would like to." Brittany says. "But, if there is an opportunity for either one of us somewhere else, I wouldn't be opposed to giving it a thought or two." She smiles sweetly up at Santana who is still studying her curiously. "I'd prefer to stay in New York though." She adds. "I mean, I did just get my New York license."

"Not that you drive anywhere." Santana jokes with a prodding finger to Brittany's cheek.

"I don't need to drive anywhere in the city." She reminds her girlfriend. "Besides, I have you if I need to go anywhere." Santana shakes her head and giggles.

"I love you." Santana tells her as she leans over to press a soft kiss on her lips.

"I love you, too." Brittany replies and gives her another peck. "Now, are you gonna help me or what?"

Twenty minutes later they are unpacked. Santana of course tells Brittany she doesn't understand why they needed to unpack considering they are leaving in two days anyway. But, Brittany explained how their clothes would be all wrinkly and neither one of them like to iron if they don't have to. They change out of their travel clothes and into something that looks less sleep ready and more presentable for the belated graduation barbeque for Jaime, Brittany's younger sister.

Being just immediate family and a few of Jaime's friends, Santana and Brittany don't have to get extremely dressed up, which both are rather grateful for considering they only arrived a few hours ago after an early morning drive. Mrs. Pierce is busy setting up chips and dip inside even though they are all going to be out back in a few minutes.

"Hey everybody." Rick announces as he, Laurie and their brood come through the front door of the Pierce house in Lima, Ohio.

"_Ooh_, the baby." Brittany coos and tugs on Santana's arm to get up from the couch so that they can go and greet the newest addition.

"Oh." Santana replies and slowly follows suit. She walks behind Brittany who practically bounces with each step towards her new niece.

"Hi Laurie." Brittany waves softly to her sister and leans in to kiss her cheek. Santana, who continues to stand behind Brittany, nods and smiles as well. "_Hello little baby_." She says softly and sweetly to the baby, placing her finger into the infant's tiny fist. "You are so cute." She beams down at the child and then gives her sister a proud look. "She is too adorable. Isn't she, babe?" Brittany glances over her shoulder where Santana is and motions for her to come closer when she realizes how far back she is. "Come here." She grabs Santana's wrist to yank her to her side.

"Yeah, she's..." Santana eyes the baby up and nods. "She's _tiny_." Brittany and Laurie giggle at her uncertainty. Brady comes running through their little group and barrels right into Brittany who nearly falls back at the collision.

"Whoa buddy!" Brittany yelps as she kneels down to look at the toy her nephew is showing her. "That _is_ pretty cool." She widens her eyes as though she has seriously just seen the coolest thing ever.

"You wanna hold her?" Laurie asks, offering her daughter to Santana, taking both of their attention away from Brittany and Brady.

"_Oh_." Santana's eyebrows raise and her eyes flicker from the baby's small head to her even smaller feet that are sockless. "Umm…" She awkwardly moves her arms to and fro, obviously having a mental debate.

"Come on, she's not gonna bite." Laurie laughs and all but shoves her daughter in her arms. "Now, just make sure you support her head." She helps Santana position her arm. "And you put your other arm like this." She poses her like a doll and then smiles. "Okay, now I really have to pee."

Santana opens her mouth to object, but instead, she stands there with a newborn baby in her arms and the mother fleeing towards the bathroom down the hall. She looks down and finds that Brittany is no longer kneeling beside her, but over on the other side of the living room with Brady looking at all of the toys he is removing from his travel bag. Mr. and Mrs. Pierce are busy talking to Rick and Jaime is nowhere to be seen.

A whine brings her attention back to the thing in her arms and she looks down at it. There are arms flailing from side to side and feet kicking into her forearm. Cautiously, she walks over towards the couch and slowly lowers herself down trying her best not to adjust the hold she has on the little girl. She's seen babies before. It's not like she's never been in the presence of them before, she's just never really been given the responsibility of having to actually hold one before.

"Okay, little, miniature sized person." Santana says in a low, yet gentle voice. She half smiles when the baby looks like she's smiling at Santana. "You _are_ kinda adorable. Just please don't spit up or go to the bathroom while I'm holding you and we'll get along just fine."

From the other side of the room, Brittany looks up from Brady showing her the proper way to cause toy destruction and spots Santana on the couch. She watches the way her girlfriend nervously adjusts her position and lets the little girl grab at her finger. It's hard not to smile at this sight. There's something about people holding babies that can stir something deep inside anyone's chest. It's kind of a beautiful scene to her and it sends tingles down to the tips of her fingers.

It's only when Laurie comes back to retrieve her child and Santana gets up from the couch does she realize that she has been staring. Santana shifts under her gaze and runs her fingers through her hair as she makes her way over towards Brittany. They smile sweetly at one another and Brittany tells her nephew she'll be back, handing him his toy back. She meets Santana halfway across the living room, her eyes flicker towards the direction of the baby and then back to her girlfriend.

"You look sort of sexy holding a baby." Brittany admits in a quiet voice. Santana smirks and arches an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" She wonders in a teasing tone and reaches down to grab both of Brittany's hands, pulling her closer. Brittany nods and hums out a 'mhmm', letting Santana lace their fingers. "You look sexy when you're holding me up against a wall... but, to each their own." She winks and gets a playful eye roll from Brittany.

"How is it that you make _everything_ dirty?" Brittany asks even though she knows she is going to get one the several same answers she always does when she asks this question.

"Because _everything_ can sound dirty if you really put your mind to it." Santana replies with a cheeky grin.

"Come on you filthy girl." Brittany hooks her arm through Santana's and tugs for her to follow. "Let's get something to drink."

Eventually the rest of the family meets them out in the backyard and Mr. Pierce starts up the grill. Brittany and Santana take two seats at the 'adult table' after being shooed away by Jaime who sits at her own table with her friends. The couple joke about being too old and obviously not cool enough to sit with high school kids anymore.

Santana looks around and finds Rick off on the other side of the backyard tossing around a football with Brady and making small talk with Brittany's dad. She momentarily imagines her being in Rick's spot as the spouse of a Pierce girl, playing with their kid in the yard while talking up their father in-law. Her thoughts are interrupted by Mrs. Pierce who taps her shoulder with the cold bottom of a beer can which she gladly accepts.

When Laurie and Mrs. Pierce start asking Santana questions about work and how life is in the big city after graduating, Brittany nudges her arm and motions towards where her nephew, father and brother in-law are. Santana nods to show she understands that Brittany is silently telling her she is leaving her to her own devices.

Santana of course indulges the Pierce women by reminding them how great the view is from her and Brittany's bedroom. She explains how she loves Rose & Byrnes and that she hopes to get a permanent position there and that while it seems likely, she is still stressing possible rejection. As she speaks with them, she finds herself glancing down at the little girl who is flailing her hands up in the air from Laurie's arms. Laurie looks down and smiles.

"Here." She says as she gets up from her seat. "You can hold her." Laurie tells her in a soft voice. "You don't even have to ask, just steal her away." She chuckles and Mrs. Pierce watches on as Santana stares dumbly at the baby.

Brittany watches from across the yard as Laurie places her new baby girl into Santana's arms. It's different this time than earlier in the living room. She smiles at the way Santana coos at the baby and how those tiny fingers wrap around her index finger. Her stomach flutters and her chest tightens at the scene playing out before her.

Just when she thought everything was as good as she could have expected, she realizes how much more she wants. She imagines their life together, the future one she paints in her mind from time to time and it looks a lot like this. There was never any doubt about it, she wants the rest of her life to be with this one person. It's only hitting her now that she is more than ready for all of those things to come barreling at her.

"You're really good with kids." Laurie comments after a few minutes as she tucks her daughters bib from her face. Santana chuckles with a shake of her head as she bounces the baby lightly in her arms.

"I hate kids." She says. "I mean, when they're this little they're easy. They don't talk back." Laurie nods, a small grin on her lips.

"What about your own kids?" Mrs. Pierce challenges with slight concern, but Santana is oblivious to her tone and furrowed brow.

"Are you kidding me?" She spits out incredulously and smiles down at the baby girl she's holding. "I'll love everything me and B make together."

* * *

><p>With the day of celebrating over, Jaime says goodnight to her family and heads out with her friends. Laurie and Rick decide to call it a night too since their kids are getting cranky and sleepy. Santana hugs Brady extra tight when he says 'goodbye Aunt Tana', something that never gets old for her to hear. Brittany offers to help her sister carry the baby's things outside where Rick is already packing the car without much help from his son who is grumpily complaining about not being home already.<p>

Santana offers to help Mrs. Pierce clear up the rest of the backyard while Mr. Pierce brushes the grill clean. There's not much to do since Mrs. Pierce is just like Santana's mother, Mrs. Lopez, who cleans everything as the night is going. It's something that Santana and Brittany have become accustomed to doing whenever they have people over because it makes the late night clean up easier and sometimes none existent.

When the tables are spotless, bottles in the recycling bin and trash in the garbage pail, Santana is more than ready for bed. She says her goodnights to Mrs. and Mr. Pierce who decide to call it a night also. Before she heads down to the basement, Santana looks out the front window to see that her girlfriend is still chatting with her sister and brother in-law. Certain that they are seconds away from driving off, Santana decides to just make her way down the stairs to get ready for bed.

She's already in her pajamas and rubbing lotion into her skin when she hears the front door upstairs open and shut. She glances over at the time on the cable box to see that it's only been about ten minutes since she got changed, brushed and moisturized. The tiny footsteps above her head, followed by the faint creak of a door tell her that Brittany is getting ready for bed too.

"Oh my goodness." Brittany yawns as she descends the stairs. "I'm tired after just one day with those kids." She reaches under her shirt to unclasp her bra and pulls it off with ease.

"Now, imagine eighteen years of that." Santana chuckles as she scoots over on the bed to give Brittany some room to slide down in.

"How many days is that?" Brittany asks as she turns off the lights by the stairs before she quickly makes her way over to the bed. Santana twists her lips and looks to the ceiling as she attempts that sort of math problem.

"A lot." She finally answers after a minute and they both laugh.

The television is on and the volume is basically on mute. The light from it flashes across their faces, illuminating the soft smiles they offer one another. Brittany crinkles her nose and shrugs her shoulders once and then leans over to press a soft kiss to Santana's lips.

"They make it look easy." Brittany muses as Santana cuddles into her.

"Laurie and Rick?" She wonders.

"Well, them too I guess. I meant our parents." Brittany explains. Santana lets her head rest comfortably against Brittany's chest and watches the way her own fingers play with the fabric of her girlfriend's shirt as she thinks. "They just… they're great parents and made it look effortless."

"I'm sure it wasn't as easy as you think babe." Santana tells her and kisses her neck as reassurance.

"Your brothers were chaos on legs and Jaime had enough energy for ten kids." Brittany points out and Santana laughs into her chest. "We'll be good though, right?" She asks through a yawn. Santana, too tired to use her voice, opts to reply with a sleepy nod.

* * *

><p>Santana wakes up a little after eleven. It's her first Friday off since her new job started two months ago and she is planning on enjoying it to its fullest by doing absolutely nothing. She stretches her body out under the covers and groans as her muscles tense and relax in a matter of seconds. It feels wonderful not to have to wake up at five in the morning and jump into her work clothes. Not that she doesn't appreciate the way her suits fit perfectly to her body and make Brittany ogle at her like she's about to play out some scene from a porno. But, every now and then it's nice to lay around the house in sweats and a t-shirt not caring whether or not if she spills coffee on herself.<p>

As coffee enters her brain she realizes her instant craving for it. She glances over at the clock on her nightstand and gives herself a nod of approval. Sometimes when she actually gets the chance to sleep in, her body only makes it to about eight o'clock or so. Not very fun. Out of habit she turns on her other side towards Brittany's pillow. She knows it's going to be empty because her girlfriend had a meeting this morning with a producer for some up and coming singer. Turns out getting that job with Mercedes a few years ago was the best thing that could have happened to Brittany. Since the debut of the music video she not only choreographed but starred in, almost every artist wants to work with her. So the dance studio has expanded to make a second floor which has become Brittany's office for such instances.

While she's expecting not to find Brittany lying beautifully next to her she is not at all prepared for the tiny post-it note stuck to her girlfriend's pillow. Her eyebrows furrow and she blinks a few times to get the blur of sleep away. She reaches over and yanks the sticky note from the pillowcase and holds it up.

'i love you my little sleeping beauty'

It's short and sweet and it makes Santana smile. After reading it over a few times she sits up and sticks the note to her own bedside table. This isn't a new thing that Brittany has started, but it's something she does when she is either planning a romantic evening or wants to tell Santana something semi important. Then there are sometimes when it is for no reason at all and every reason possible. So, Santana basically has no clue which road this sticky note is leading her to but it's a nice wake up either way.

Santana shuffles towards their en suite bathroom and grabs her robe from the hook. As she pulls it on she moves towards their closet where her slippers are side by side and she jams her feet into them. When she reaches the kitchen she immediately opens the cabinet to grab her Betty Boop coffee mug, her go to cup for her morning beverage, and finds another sticky note covering Betty's mouth. Confused but happy to find another secret post-it, she smiles and curiously reads it.

'i love you and your coffee obsession'

She laughs and shakes her head as she places the note into the pocket of her robe. It's true; she does have a bit of an obsession with coffee. It's just so good and delicious at any time of day. Plus, there's decaf so coffee can be had by all even at night. While her coffee is being made in their newly acquired Keurig, courtesy of Brittany, she taps her hands on the counter wondering if there are other notes just waiting to be found.

With a shrug of her shoulders she reaches for a box of cereal on top of the refrigerator and then a bowl from the cabinet. She opens the box and pours a nice helping into her bowl. It's silly, but she was half expecting to find a note stuck to a piece of cereal. She even peeks inside but there's nothing in there. After putting the box back, she opens the refrigerator and laughs softly as she shakes her head. There's another tiny note posted on the milk container.

'i couldn't get a post it to stick to your cereal... i love you'

"You're a little mush." Santana mumbles to herself with a grin on her face.

Coffee in hand and bowl of cereal in the other, Santana moves to the table and takes the seat that faces the living room. She sets her drink and food down to the table and reaches for the entertainment part of the newspaper. Sleeping in, coffee and the crossword puzzle in the newspaper is her lazy day alone guilty pleasure. When she reaches the puzzles and game page of the paper, she is greeted by another post it right in the middle of the page except this one has no words on it. Instead, there is an arrow pointing up or straight. For good measure, though she is certain Brittany is not telling her to look up, she does it anyway. There's nothing there which means she is supposed to look forward.

Santana lowers the paper and looks into the living room from her seat. There's nothing noticeably different in the other room. She pushes her chair back and stands, wondering if it is something out of her line of vision. As she does, her eyes fall to the island table and she stops. Her face is fighting a smile and an astonished jaw drop. Her hands come up to cover her mouth but fall quickly to her sides. Finally, her feet move and she is walking towards the island table that separates the rooms and where Brittany's note is obviously directing her. There on the table sits the black box they had hidden away nearly four years ago and beside it is another and final note.

'tag. you're it.'

"Well, Miss Pierce." Santana whispers to herself and a small smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. "It's about damn time."

Santana spends the rest of the day wrestling with her phone and her goofy smile. For the first, she wasn't sure if she was ready to share with anyone that this was going on. She hasn't even told anyone in her family about the existence of this ring. For the latter, her face started to hurt about an hour after she woke up. But, the pain doesn't make the flutter in her stomach and chest go away.

Before Brittany gets home from work, she does manage to put the ring in her bedside table, giddy at the fact that this is now in her possession once again. She sends Brittany a quick text just to say 'I love you' and to wish her a good day at work. After a shower and some lunch, she makes a quick trip down to the liquor store around the block and picks up a bottle of champagne, figuring that a day like today calls for some celebration.

By five, Brittany walks through the door and is greeted by her bubbly girlfriend. She giggles at how Santana showers her with adoration before she can even put her bags down. After she kicks her shoes off, Santana leads her to the couch and reaches for the bottle of champagne she had set in a bucket on ice when she got Brittany's text that she'd be home twenty minutes ago.

"Ooh, champagne." Brittany cheers as she settles comfortably on the couch. Santana grins as she tears off the aluminum cover to the cork. "What's the occasion?" She asks and Santana playfully rolls her eyes at her girlfriend playing coy.

"Can't I just get my girlfriend good and drunk so that I can take advantage of her?" She winks and they both jump when she pops the cork free from the bottle. "Or get taken advantage of by my very drunk girlfriend." She adds as she leans forward to grab the two plastic champagne flutes they acquired a year ago. With both of their glasses generously filled, Santana sets the bottle back down into the bucket and turns to face Brittany.

"Nice surprise?" Brittany asks nervously, but she knows the answer. Santana bites on her bottom lip, unable to contain her smile, and nods her head.

"Very nice." She replies softly. "To us?" She suggests, tilting her glass towards Brittany's.

"To us." Brittany agrees and taps her plastic glass to Santana's.

"Mmm." Santana hums as she swallows her first sip. "Gimme a kiss lady." She puckers up and leans halfway.

"Lots of kisses." Brittany tells her and closes the distance between their lips. "How was your day off?" She asks after she pulls back and wipes Santana's lips with her thumb. "I mean, besides the obvious." She grins and rests her head to the back of the couch enjoying the dimples that deepen with each smile Santana smiles.

"Relaxing." Santana breathes out, following Brittany's lead and rests her own head to the back cushion of the couch. Her eyes scan over her girlfriend's face and her body relaxes. "How was work?" She inquires and lifts her hand up to Brittany's face where she smoothes out a few eyebrow hairs that were deviating from their natural direction.

"Uneventful." Brittany shrugs and takes another swig of her champagne. "I couldn't wait to get home." She admits and shuffles closer to Santana. "Did you eat yet?" She asks while tugging at the hem of Santana's shirt.

"Nope." Santana replies and kisses her girlfriend's cheek quickly. "I was waiting for you." She explains as she plays with a lock of blonde hair.

* * *

><p>"When are you gonna give Garrett the time of day?" Santana wonders, sending a quick glance over towards the door because they are waiting for Rachel to join them.<p>

"Why do you change the subject?" Quinn sighs and rolls her eyes. She dips her head because the topic of conversation makes her cheeks hot.

"I change the subject when I'm irritated. And you were irritating me." Santana informs her friend and taps her fingers on the table. "Besides, we were talking about carpet versus hardwood floors. Not exactly exhilarating." Quinn shakes her head and wonders how she is still friends with this girl. "So?"

"Garrett and I are just friends." Quinn reminds her friend for the millionth time.

"Are you kidding me?" Santana laughs. Unfortunately for Santana but fortunately for Quinn, Rachel comes rushing through the door of the coffee shop instantly ending the conversation.

"Hello ladies." She greets as she tosses her bag onto the table and looks around while she takes her sunglasses off. "It is gross out there." She comments with a motion towards the outside world she just came from. "Where's Kurt?" Rachel wonders, turning her attention back to the inside of the café.

"He's grabbing coffee." Quinn tells her and points over towards the counter where Kurt is in fact standing. Before she can even get settled fully in her seat, he is heading back over towards them, drink tray in hand.

"I feel like we are having our very own Midnight Society meeting." Kurt comments as he takes his seat, placing the coffee carrier down onto the table.

"What are you babbling about?" Santana spits out and grabs her coffee. Rachel and Quinn too share inquisitive looks.

"That old Nickelodeon show where teenagers sat around a fire and told scary stories." He explains but his girlfriends just look back at him. "Seriously? Bag of glitter dust gets thrown into the fire making a glorious puff of white smoke." Santana shrugs her shoulders and shakes her head. Quinn looks down with wide eyed confusion and focuses on her coffee. Rachel stares blankly at him. "Okay, what was it you brought us here for Santana?" She clears her throat and shifts in her seat.

"Well, I called you guys to meet me because I need your help." She says and the tone in her voice lets in on the fact that she's not happy about asking for help in the least. Before she explains, she jams her hand into the bottom of her purse, pulls something out and then places it in the middle of the table. Her friends eye up the object, each slowly realizing that it is a little black box. _The_ little black box. "I'm gonna propose to Brittany." Both Kurt and Rachel sputter out their coffee while Quinn smiles to herself as she stirs the sugar into her coffee.

"Wait," Rachel holds up her hand once she gathers herself. "You and Brittany know each other inside and out. What could you possibly need our help with?" She wonders. "Not that the excitement of an impending proposal and engagement does not appeal to me. I just don't understand where we come in." Santana rolls her eyes and huffs.

"Okay, bad choice of words." Santana waves her hand as though erasing her previous plea. "I've just been going over all these different ways to do it and I guess I want the opinion of my friends." She rephrases.

"Something big." Kurt announces and lifts his arms up to emphasize his words.

"I think big is not the way to go with a proposal." Quinn chimes in.

"Oh come on." Kurt playfully taps his friend's shoulder. "You're telling me some grand gesture in a public place like by a fountain or in the middle of a restaurant with some band or musical number wouldn't make you swoon?" Quinn bobs her head from side to side, obviously thinking about Kurt's idea.

"Yeah, I guess if I was living in a musical." Quinn points out. "This isn't Grease or High School Musical. People don't just break out in song."

"In my world they do." Rachel tells the group.

"I've thought of something like that." Santana finally jumps into the conversation. "But, as awesome as singing a song to Brittany as a proposal sounds, it just doesn't feel intimate enough for me." She sips her coffee, in deep thought about her situation.

"I agree." Rachel nods. "I mean, all those people who propose at basketball games and in malls are probably pressured to say yes regardless if they were gonna say yes in the first place."

"When did she…?" Quinn asks and motions towards the black wooden box.

"Two weeks ago." Santana replies with a smile but her moment of remembering when she found it thanks to those cute little post-it notes is interrupted by one of her friends coughing on their coffee and the other two yelling 'what' at a high pitched tone.

"Two weeks ago?" Kurt yelps as he wipes his mouth free of sputtered coffee.

"And you didn't propose yet?" Rachel jerks her head back and eyes the box then her friend in confusion.

"Seriously Santana, what are you waiting for?" Quinn adds and shakes her head.

"And don't say 'the perfect moment' because those don't exist in real life." Kurt comments.

"You've been waiting like, four years to get this ring back." Quinn reminds her and Santana nods at this statement. It's true. "And two weeks later you're asking us for advice?"

"Yeah, didn't you have a plan at all when you bought this five million years ago?" Kurt asks, his eyes practically undressing the box and his fingers dance across the table and back towards himself.

"Oh, just look at it Lady Hummel." Santana tells him, reaching to the box and slides it in his direction. He greedily picks it up and pops the clasp in one swift motion.

"Oh Santana." He hums softly and tilts his head as though from a different angle he'll get even more beauty out of the ring. "This is exquisite." Rachel grabs his hand so she can take a look.

"Brittany's gonna love it." Rachel says, giving her friend a nod of approval.

"Yeah." Santana bobs her head up and down and smiles proudly. "I guess, I just want it to be romantic and memorable."

"All proposals are memorable." Quinn assures her, sending a quick look over in Rachel's direction who is still too mesmerized by the ring.

"You guys know Britt just as well as I do." Santana shifts in her chair and crosses her legs at the knee. "What kind of proposal do you think she'd want?"

"I still think that going big is the way to go." Kurt replies and closes the box setting it back to the middle of the table. Santana sighs with uncertainty and glances over at Rachel.

"Big can be grand, of course, but there is a lot of planning." Rachel explains. "For example, what with our background in singing i.e. the Glee club in high school, a huge performance to show ones affection is rather easy to us."

"Where in the world would you be able to set something like that up?" Quinn wonders.

"Several places." Rachel answers instantly. "There's Brittany's studio. Even Mick's." She lists two places off right away. "Surely after all our dedicated patronage over the years, Garrett would love to help us out." Santana smirks and sends Quinn a look.

"Okay." Quinn drawls out after giving Santana an eye roll. "But, would Brittany really want her marriage proposal to be in the middle of a dirty bar in front of drunken strangers?" The other three mull this over, bobbing their heads from side to side and staring down at the table.

"Q's right." Santana agrees with a nod.

"Santana," Rachel interrupts their silent thinking. "I don't really think venue should be your main concern. When it comes down to it, the setting is the least of your worries. It's what you say that is going to be the most memorable." She explains and Santana hates to admit it, but Rachel Berry is actually right. "Now, if you're interested, I can help you come up with some romantic lines and maybe even throw in a poem or several." Internally, Santana groans, but externally she nods. "Perfect, then we will meet up tomorrow at your place when Brittany is out and I will come up with the best proposal romance has ever heard."

Rachel rushes out apologizing for such a short visit and meeting, but she has to get to an audition that's across town. Quinn and Kurt discuss the possibilities of things that can go wrong in an intimate setting versus a big, public type of proposal. Meanwhile, Santana sits with the box in her hands tuning out her friends and tries to think of how exactly she plans on popping the question.

* * *

><p>"So, I gave Santana the ring back." Brittany tells her friends after the food arrives. Quinn widens her eyes, Rachel coughs and looks away and Kurt nearly spits his water back into the glass through the straw. "I know, it's a big deal." Brittany sighs and tucks some hair behind her ear. "It's been like a month and she still hasn't asked me." She says, worry evident in her voice.<p>

"I'm sure she just wants it to be a surprise." Rachel assures her friend and reaches her hand over to pat her on the arm for good measure. Brittany nods a few times, picks up her fork and pokes at her food.

"You're probably right." Brittany mumbles.

"And maybe she's planning something big which is why it's taking so long." Kurt adds as an afterthought to Rachel's explanation which garners a glare from Quinn.

"I don't know." Brittany shrugs. "It could be in the middle of Times Square or in bed, it's not about where." Quinn watches Brittany unintentionally slump in her chair. She sucks in a small smile wishing she was able to assure her that Santana really is putting great thought into it. Not just because she knows how Santana operates, but because Santana told them exactly that.

"It'll happen." Quinn tells her with certainty that Brittany can't help but smile gratefully up at her.

"I guess I thought that once I put it out there..." Brittany grumbles, obviously the assurance from her friends can only last so long.

"She'd ask you right away?" Quinn wonders, because she honestly thought that was how this was going to go too.

"Well, yeah." Brittany replies with a shrug as though it should be fairly obvious that she assumed this.

"I'm sure she's just waiting for the right moment. You know her. She's a planner." Rachel chimes in and offers Brittany a supportive smile and nod.

Brittany mulls this information over as she finally dives into her lunch. It is true. Santana seldom dives head first into things without much thought. Even when she does seem spontaneous, Brittany always knew the things she did on a whim, were also things that she made a pros and cons list about in her head.

Not letting the conversation turn dull into 'when' or even into 'what if', Kurt changes the subject to something entirely different. Brittany is happy for the new topic and her mind is quickly distracted with color patterns and schemes for the fall fashion Kurt is creating for his hopeful clothing line. Quinn and Rachel also breathe out a sigh of relief since they have been privy to this returning of the ring for over two weeks now.

* * *

><p>The room is dimly lit with just a small sliver of sun creeping around the curtain. It's quiet too. The only sound to be heard is their breathing. Santana stands with the black box in her hand. She nervously plays with the clasp between her thumb and forefinger. With a deep breath she lifts her head and smiles.<p>

"Brittany." She breathes out slowly and nods. "Will you do me the honor..." She sucks in her lips and shakes her head. "No way, that's totally gay." She drops her hand, the one holding the ring box, to her side and turns around.

Rachel is sitting on the edge of her bed, notepad on her lap and pen in hand. She crosses something off on her 'list' and shakes her head.

"That's basically all of my ideas." She whines.

"Your ideas are all from the middle ages." Santana groans and falls onto the bed backwards. "Nobody talks like this." She rests the box on her forehead and closes her eyes.

"I'll have you know that I have been making this list of proposals that have tugged at my very heart strings since high school." Rachel points out and tosses her writing pad to the empty spot next to her in a huff.

"Are you kidding me Berry?" Santana laughs. "Those lines sound like you copied them out of a rom-com that never got made 'cause it sucked."

"You're the one who asked _me_ for help." Rachel shakes her head and pushes herself up from the bed. "Mocking the way in which I help you is uncalled for." She smoothes out her skirt and walks over to the vanity where she put her phone.

"I just feel like…" Santana twists her lips and sits up on her elbows to get a good look at her friend. "Look, I don't know how to say this without sounding like a bitch, but, are these all ways you thought Quinn was gonna propose? Or how you want to propose?" She asks. It hasn't been much of a subject of conversation, Quinn and Rachel, since they broke up over three years ago. Rachel looks up at her, brow furrowed and her lips parted. "I just don't want some recycled or dream version proposal that _you_ want." Rachel closes her mouth, swallows and drops her eyes back to her phone.

"Quinn and I are friends." Rachel informs her and Santana rolls her eyes, luckily out of her friend's sight. "I haven't thought of us in that way for a while now." She shrugs her shoulders and moves back towards the foot of the bed to take a seat. "Maybe it'll be easier to come up with something if you tell me a few things."

"Like what?" Santana turns on her side, propping her head up in her hand.

"Like, how you feel when you're around her and when you realized you were in love with her." Rachel explains. "Maybe tell her how you see your future with her in it."

"Shouldn't that be obvious?" Santana whines and lies on her back and stares up at her ceiling.

"When do you plan on asking her anyway?" Rachel asks as she gathers her things. It's obvious to her that Santana is not going to take any of her suggestions.

"Soon." Santana mumbles to herself, too occupied with the how of it all.

But soon turns into the end of summer and then its Brittany's birthday. She doesn't want to pop the question on her girlfriend's birthday it seems like a cop out to not get and give and actual gift. Halloween passes and then it's November and Santana doesn't want to propose on Thanksgiving. And then she doesn't want to do it on Christmas or New Years. Then it's February and she doesn't want to do it on Valentine's Day.

"You know that if you keep using holidays as an excuse you're never gonna do it." Quinn points out one night at Mick's. Santana rolls her eyes and sips her beer.

"You know, I don't recall asking for your opinion. At least not about the ETA about said proposal." Santana spits out. "Besides, shouldn't you be focusing on the progress of your own relationship? Or lack thereof." She motions towards Rachel who is waiting by the bar with Brittany who is talking to Garrett. Quinn follows her line of vision and purses her lips. "Oh, do I sense some tension and not of the sexual variety." Santana comments with intrigue and shifts in her bar stool.

"Your Tana senses are most definitely tingling." Quinn adjusts her long bangs to one side of her head. Santana quirks an eyebrow and glances over at Rachel and then at Garrett. "But, right now we're talking about you." Santana sighs and looks back over at Quinn. "It's March, no holidays." She shrugs her shoulders and gives her friend a pointed look. "And don't even try and use St. Patrick's Day as an excusable one."

Santana smirks and shakes the rest of her beer around at the bottom of the bottle.

"I just want it to be perfect." Santana explains.

* * *

><p>Brittany is flipping through their mail when she walks into the apartment after work. She kicks the door shut with her foot and turns towards the table against the wall where she tosses her keys. An American Express envelope peaks her interest and she opens it up to find their new credit cards.<p>

"We got our new American Express." She says out loud while she steps out of her shoes and pushes them under the table with her toes. "Babe?" She calls out again when she doesn't get a response. Without another thought, she grabs the pile of mail and makes her way towards the hallway that leads to their bedroom.

It takes a few steps into the hallway when she realizes that she is stepping on something. But before she can fully huff out her girlfriend's name, she flips the switch on to light up the hallway and notices that their hardwood floor is sprinkled with red and white rose petals. She smiles but gasps, uncertain of what is awaiting her in their bedroom, where the petal road seems to lead.

Brittany follows the rose petals to their bedroom door which she opens to reveal their room tastefully lit with candles. She smiles and her heart beats faster because she realizes something big might just be around the corner. Her legs bring her to the bed when she notices something sitting on top of the comforter. On the bed she sees there is a photo album she's never seen before. Realizing she is still clutching onto their mail, she lets it drop to the bed, some envelopes fall to the ground but she could care less and reaches for the photo album.

Upon opening it she is greeted with pictures of them from summers at camp and at the Lopez cabin. There is one where they are lounging around by the Lopez pool and another in front of the Pierce's house sitting on chairs they made out of snow. A few pages forward are photos of them in high school. Cheerio uniforms and Glee costumes, graduation and parties, even their thunderclap King and Queen from the dance senior year.

There's a picture of Santana in her NYU cap and gown after graduating with her bachelors and then again after law school, both with Brittany on her arm. There's the picture that Quinn took of them on set of a music video Brittany was working on. Another has Brittany grinning at the camera while trying to piece together the desk they got from IKEA for Santana's 'office'.

When Brittany gets to the last page she finds there are no photos. Instead, there's a post-it which reads 'tag. you're it. turn around'. She hesitates, but only for a moment, before she places the book down carefully and turns around. There, right behind her, is Santana staring back at and nervously playing with her hands.

"_Oh my god_." Brittany gasps and covers her mouth with her hands. Santana chuckles as she takes in Brittany's reactions.

"Shh, come here." She smiles and waves her over. Brittany feels like her legs are weighted and she can hardly believe she's actually able to move them. "Here," Santana takes her hand and leads her to the foot of the bed. "Sit down." She laughs softly at how shaky Brittany feels.

"Is this... this is happening?" Brittany mumbles to herself and Santana smirks.

"Yes." Santana breathes out and nods, still holding Brittany's hands in her own. "It is." And she slowly kneels down on both knees right in front of Brittany.

Santana sniffles through her smile and wipes her eye quickly with the back of her finger. Brittany stares on curiously, nervous and excited as Santana reaches her hand into her pocket and pulls out something shiny. Blue eyes widen and sparkle with tears that slowly slide down her cheeks. Santana holds it out between them and lifts her other hand up to swipe the tears from under Brittany's eyes.

"I kept trying to come up with some romantic speech or something that would make this incredibly special." Santana shakes her head at herself and chuckles because her voice is so scratchy and unsteady. "Then I realized that, with you, words will never come close to expressing how I feel about you." Brittany stops trying to control her crying and just lets go. "We've shared so many firsts together." Brittany smiles and nods through her tears. "Some of the very firsts I had are things that were more than just feelings. Like the first time I kissed you. Your lips were so soft and gentle. And I felt like I could kiss those lips forever." Brittany's chin quivers and she tries to hold in a sob. This makes Santana start to blubber a bit and she pauses to gather herself. "The first time we made love," Her voice cracks and Brittany tilts her head as tries her hardest to not be sad because this is supposed to be a happy moment. "It wasn't exactly our first time." She chuckles, doing her best to lighten the mood.

"I know." Brittany chokes out and covers Santana's hand with her own. Santana smiles because she'd never known when sex became making love until that afternoon back in high school.

"I remember feeling this overwhelming need to tell you things I wasn't ready to say or even feel." She shakes her head to rid herself of this overload of emotion, but, it's of no use. "I think the best part about our journey is that it has such a long past. We've been through so much together. Not a lot of people have that. But, I think what's even greater is that we have an even longer journey ahead of us. I fell in love with you before I even knew what love meant. What I learned about love, I learned from you. And I keep learning each day and I fall more and more each day." She sniffles. "I love you, Brittany. Will you marry me?"

Brittany's lips part, her chin shivers as she breathes and her eyes study Santana intensely. She blinks a few times, trying to get all the tears out as to not have a blurry vision of Santana kneeling before her. Her arm raises, her hand cups one of Santana's cheeks and her thumb caresses the corner of her lip. Brittany's head bobs up and down as she slowly leans forward and presses her mouth to Santana's.

"Yes." She cries. "Yes, of course I'll marry you." Brittany's not sure whether she needs to look at Santana or kiss her.

So, she does both.

**...To Be Continued...**


	42. Author's Note

I want to thank you all for all of your support during this story. I not only write for me but for all of you. Apparently there was some confusion with the last chapter I posted. While it is the end of 'true as the sky is blue', there is still more to the story. I have always said that this saga (including 'when skies are grey' the first installment) will be a trilogy of sorts. So, while this part is over, there is going to be a third installment. No epilogue. 'To be continued' means that there will be another sequel.

much love to all my peeps.

-summerkid


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